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HEAVEN  OPENED; 


on, 


A  BRIEF  AND  PLAIN  DISCOVERY 


THE  RICHES  OF  GOD'S  COVENANT  OF  GRACE. 


BY   REV.   RICHARD   ALLEINE, 
A.  D.  1665. 


RBVIKP   A.XD   GOMIWHAT    ABRIDGKIX 


PUBLISHED    BY   THE 
AMERICAN    TRACT    SOCIETY, 

150  NASSAU-STREET,   NEW  YORK. 


The  Rev.  Richard  Alleine,  the  able  author  of  this 
treatise,  having  published  an  excellent  work  enti- 
tled "Vindiciae  Pietatis,"  was  requested  to  embody 
into  it  a  precious  gem  exhibiting  "  the  Riches  of 
the  Covenant  of  Grace,  and  the  Believer's  Triumph," 
from  the  pen  of  his  brother  the  Rev.  Joseph  Alleine, 
author  of  the  "  Alarm  to  the  Unconverted."  The 
result  was  that  his  meditations  on  the  high  theme 
produced  this  glowing,  spiritual,  and  practical  treatise, 
of  which  the  gem  from  his  brother  constitutes  chapters 
14  and  15. 

In  the  present  edition,  various  antiquated  or  doubt- 
ful phrases  or  sentences  have  been  dropped,  and  a 
few  paragraphs  on  a  single  point  which  might  give 
offence  to  some  evangelical  Christians,  have  been 
omitted.  The  headings  and  subdivisions  of  the  chap- 
ters have  been  made  more  distinct,  and  four  very 
short  chapters  on  related  topics  are  now  united  in 
chapter  5.  The  treatise,  says  the  author,  is  "  fol- 
lowed with  my  prayers  that  the  good  land,  whereof 
some  clusters  are  here  presented  to  thee,  may  be 
thine  inheritance.     See  and  take." 


347392 


CONTENTS. 


Introduction, 7 

CHAPTER  I. 

God  himself  granted  in  the  Covenant,  to  be  our  Friend,  Portion, 
Sun,  Shield,  9 

CHAPTER    II. 

Christ  in  the  Covenant.  As  the  light  of  life;  the  Lord  our  right- 
eousness; our  Lord  and  King;  our  Head  and  Husband,  .     .       29 

CHAPTER    III. 

The  Spirit  in  the  Covenant.  As  a  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revela- 
tion, holiness  and  sanctification,  truth  and  direction,  comfort 
and  consolation, 42 

CHAPTER    IV. 

The  earth  in  the  Covenant.  The  good  things  of  the  earth ;  the 
evil  things  of  the  earth,  or  the  cross, 59 

CHAPTER    V. 

The  angels  of  light — the  powers  of  darkness — death — the  king- 
dom, in  the  Covenant, 82 

CHAPTER    VI. 
A  new  heart  in  the  Covenant, 93 

CHAPTER    VII. 
A  heart  to  know  the  Lord  in  the  Covenant, 102 

CHAPTER    VIII. 
One  heart  in  the  Covenant, 120 


O  A  r* 


47392 


6  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER    IX. 
A  heart  of  flesh  in  the  Covenant, 148 

CHAPTER    X. 
A  heart  to  love  the  Lord  in  the  Covenant, 172 

CHAPTER    XI. 
A  heart  to  fear  the  Lord  in  the  Covenant, 193 

CHAPTER    XII. 
An  obedient  heart  in  the  Covenant, 227 

CHAPTER    XIII. 
An  enduring  Covenant, ,     .  255 

CHAPTER    XIV. 

Riches  of  the  Covenant,  or  the  exceeding  great  and  precious  prom- 
ises.    By  Rev.  Joseph  Alleine, 267 

CHAPTER    XV. 

The  believer's  triumph  in  God's  Covenant,  or  the  various  con- 
flicts and  glorious  conquests  of  faith  over  unbelief.  By  Rev. 
Joseph  Alleine, 305 

CHAPTER    XVI. 

To  the  unconverted,  with  a  form  of  words  expressing  man's 
covenanting  with  God, 329 

CHAPTER    XVII. 
To  God's  covenant  people, 356 

Directions  as  to  Prayer, 374 


HEAVEN   OPENED. 


INTRODUCTION. 

Good  news  from  heaven !  the  Day-spring  from  on 
high  hath  visited  this  undone  world !  After  a  deluge 
of  sin  and  misery,  behold  the  bow  in  the  cloud.  The 
Lord  God  has  made  and  established  a  new  covenant, 
and  this  it  is  that  has  cast  the  first  beam  on  the  dark 
state  of  lost  and  fallen  man,  and  has  brought  life  and 
immortality  to  light.  This  covenant  is  the  hope  of 
sinners,  the  riches  of  saints,  the  magna  charta  of  the 
city  of  God  :  the  forfeited  lease  of  eternity  renewed ; 
God's  deed  of  gift,  wherein  he  has,  on  fair  conditions, 
granted  sinners  their  lives,  and  settled  upon  his  saints 
an  everlasting  inheritance. 

Hear,  0  ye  forlorn  captives,  who  have  sold  your- 
selves to  eternal  bondage,  spoiled  yourselves  of  all 
your  glory,  sealed  yourselves  up  under  everlasting 
misery.  You  are  dead  in  your  sins,  guilty  before 
God,  under  wrath,  under  a  curse,  bound  over  to  eter- 
nal vengeance.  But  behold,  there  is  yet  hope  in 
Israel  concerning  this  thing;  the  Lord  God  has  had 
compassion  upon  you,  has  opened  a  way  for  you  to 


tS  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

escape  out  of  all  this  misery  and  bondage.  Lift  up 
the  hands  that  hang  down,  strengthen  the  trembling 
knees :  an  ark,  an  ark  has  (rod  prepared,  in  which  is 
salvation  from  the  flood ;  a  covenant,  a  new  covenant 
has  he  made  and  established,  which,  if  you  lay  hold 
on  it,  will  recover  all  you  have  lost,  ransom  you  from 
death,  redeem  you  from  hell,  and  advance  you  to  a 
more  sure  and  blessed  condition  than  your  original 
state  from  which  you  have  fallen.  This  is  the  hope 
of  sinners  ;  this  is  the  heritage  of  the  servants  of  the 
Lord. 

Glorious  tidings,  good  news  indeed !  But  what  is 
this  covenant  ?  Or  what  is  there  that  is  given  and 
granted  therein?  "Why,  in  sum,  there  is  all  that 
heaven  and  earth  can  afford,  all  that  can  be  needed 
or  desired ;  and  this,  by  a  firm  and  irrevocable  deed , 
made  over,  and  made  sure  to  all  who  will  sincerely 
embrace  it. 

Particularly,  God  has  in  his  covenant  granted  and 
made  over  Himself;  his  Son;  his  Spirit;  the  earth; 
the  angels  of  light ;  the  powers  of  darkness;  death; 
the  kingdom — all  the  means  of  salvation. 


GOD  IN  THE  COVENANT. 


CHAPTER   I. 


GOD  IN  THE  COVENANT. 


The  Lord  God  has  made  over  himself  in  this 
covenant.  This  is  the  great  and  comprehensive  prom- 
ise: "I  will  be  their  God."  Jer.  31 :  33.  I  am  God  ; 
and  what  I  am  is  all  theirs :  myself,  my  glorious 
incomprehensible  essence,  all  my  glorious  attributes, 
my  omnipotence,  my  omniscience,  my  wisdom,  my 
righteousness,  my  holiness,  my  all-sufficiency,  my 
faithfulness.  I  will  make  over  myself  to  them  to  be 
henceforth  and  for  ever  theirs :  their  Friend,  their 
Portion,  their  Sun,  and  their  Shield. 

I.  Their  Friend.  I  was  angry,  but  mine  anger 
is  turned  away;  I  was  an  adversary,  I  had  a  contro- 
versy with  them,  but  I  am  reconciled ;  I  have  found 
a  ransom,  the  contest  is  settled,  my  wrath  is  ap- 
peased, I  am  their  friend :  "I  will  forgive  their  in- 
iquity, and  I  will  remember  their  sin  no  more."  Jer. 
31 :  34.  I  will  take  away  their  iniquity  and  receive 
them  graciously;  "I  will  heal  their  backsliding,  I 
will  love  them  freely ;  for  mine  anger  is  turned  away 
from  them."  Hosea  14 : 4.  Fury  is  not  now  in 
me ;  favor  and  friendship,  love  and  good-will  is  all 
they  may  henceforth  expect  from  me.  "  Glory  be 
to  God  on  high,  on  earth  peace,  good-will  towards 
men !" 

Sinners,  what  is  there  to  be  feared,  what  is  there 
1* 


10  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

dreadful,  but  an  angry  God  ?  Thence  is  sorrow 
and  anguish,  thence  is  famine,  and  pestilence,  and 
sword ;  thence  is  death  and  hell :  he  does  not  know 
what  the  wrath  of  God  means,  who  does  not  see  in 
it  all  the  plagues  of  earth,  and  all  the  vengeance 
of  eternal  fire.  Whatever  terrors  or  torments  have 
seized  upon  thee — upon  thy  body,  upon  thy  soul; 
whatever  losses,  crosses,  vexations,  afflictions,  plague 
thee  on  this  earth ;  whatever  horror  and  anguish, 
whatever  amazing,  confounding  torments  are  like 
to  meet  thee  and  feed  upon  thee  in  the  lake  be- 
neath, thou  mayest  say  of  all,  This  is  the  wrath  of 
God.  When  the  Lord  says  to  thee,  Fury  is  not  in 
me,  he  says  also,  Fear  shall  be  no  more  to  thee.  The 
hour  the  Lord  saith,  I  am  thy  friend,  death  and  hell 
vanish ;  the  day  is  broken,  the  shadows  flee  away. 
This  is  one  thing  included  in  the  promise,  "I  am 
their  God" — I  am  their  friend. 

II.  Their  Portion.  Fury  ceases  ;  fears  vanish ; 
friendship,  favor,  life  are  granted.  But  what  shall 
the  soul  have  to  live  upon  ?  Man  was  never  intended 
to  be  self-sufficient ;  he  was  created  under  a  neces- 
sity of  dependence  on  something  without  him,  not 
only  for  the  continuance  of  his  being,  but  for  the 
comfort  of  his  being ;  he  cannot  live  upon  the  air, 
though  he  hath  escaped  the  fire :  the  soul  of  man  is 
too  big  for  all  the  world ;  like  Noah's  dove,  it  can  find 
no  rest  below ;  and  where  shall  it  find  it,  or  on  what 
shall  it.  subsist?  Why,  God  will  not  starve  his 
friends ;  he  who  has  saved  their  lives  will  find  them 
a  livelihood ;  he  himself  will  be  their  portion,  their 


GOD  IN    THE  COVENANT.  11 

maintenance,  and  their  heritage  for  ever.  As  their 
deliverance  is  from  him,  so  their  dependence  shall  he 
on  him ;  he  is  their  substance,  and  on  him  is  their 
subsistence ;  he  writes  himself  "  the  portion  of 
Jacob,"  Jer.  10,  16,  and  as  such  his  saints  accept 
him,  "  The  Lord  is  the  portion  of  mine  inheritance," 
Psa.  16 : 5 ;  he  is  their  bread  and  their  water,  their 
stock  and  their  store.  The  Lord  gives  portions  to  his 
enemies  :  not  only  the  young  ravens,  but  the  old  lions 
and  tigers ;  the  worst  of  men  seek  their  meat  from 
God ;  they  "  have  their  portion  in  this  life,  whose 
belly  thou  fillest  with  thy  hid  treasure."  Psa.  17  :  14. 
They  have  their  portion :  some  of  them  have  their 
portion  in  the  city,  others  a  portion  in  the  field ;  to 
some  he  gives  a  portion  of  gold,  to  others  a  portion  of 
worldly  glory,  to  others  a  portion  of  pleasures ;  with 
all  these  he  deals  as  the  father  of  the  prodigal,  he 
gives  them  their  portion  and  sends  them  away.  But 
while  he  gives  portions  to  these,  He  is  the  portion  of 
his  saints :  he  makes  over  and  settles  himself  upon 
them,  as  their  inheritance  for  ever :  they  shall  never 
be  in  want  while  there  is  fulness  in  him  to  supply 
them ;  they  shall  never  be  in  straits  while  there  is 
power  in  him  to  relieve  them :  all  their  wants  are 
upon  him. 

The  Lord  is  their  portion,  and  he  is  a-  sufficient 
portion.  "  With  thee  is  the  fountain  of  life."  Psa. 
36.  "  In  thy  presence  is  fulness  of  joy."  Psa.  16. 
The  Lord  God  is  all  things  to  them:  "  In  my  father's 
house  there  is  bread  enough,  and  to  spare."  He  that 
has  all  things  below  God,  but  not  God,  has  nothing; 


12  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

he  that  has  nothing  besides  God,  but  has  God,  has  all 
things ;  enough  and  to  spare ;  filling  up,  and  running 
over :  there  is  still  more •, to  be  had,  if  more  could  be 
held.  The  soul  has  never  enough  till  it  has  more  than 
enough,  is  never  full  till  it  runs  over — never  full 
while  it  can  contain  and  measure  and  number  all 
that  it  has :  this  is  its  judgment  of  all.  In  God  is 
enough  for  filling  up,  and  running  over ;  enough  there 
is  in  him  to  fill  up  all  their  faculties. 

Their  understandings.  There  are  infinitely  beau- 
tiful perfections  on  which  we  may  gaze  and  fill  our 
eyes  with  unspeakable  delight ;  but  when  we  have 
looked  the  furthest  into  them,  when  the  most  search- 
ing eye,  the  most  intense  thoughts  have  searched  and 
run  their  utmost,  they  come  not  near  the  end ;  they 
shall  look,  and  look,  and  see,  and  see,  and  when  they 
can  reach  no  further,  then  they  shall  wonder  at  those 
treasures  of  light  and  beauty  that  are  still  beyond 
them.  Admiration  is  the  understanding  full,  and 
running  over :  when  it  is  nonplussed,  and  can  reach 
no  further,  then  it  wonders  at  what  it  perceives  still 
beyond  it.  The  apostle  tells  us  that  the  gospel, 
which  presents  God  in  flesh,  hath  in  it  a  height,  and 
depth,  and  length,  and  breadth,  Eph.  3 :  18,  and  I 
may  tell  you  from  him,  it  is  a  height  without  top,  a 
depth  without  bottom,  a  length  without  limits,  a 
breadth  without  bounds ;  in  one  word,  immensity ; 
unmeasurable,  and  therefore  unspeakable,  unsearch- 
able glory.  While  the  blind  world  deride  and  despise 
the  portion  of  the  saints,  looking  on  God  and  all  the 
things  of  God  as  shallow  things  that  have  no  depth 


GOD  IN  THE   COVENANT.  13 

in  them,  they  will  be  found  by  those  who  search  into 
them,  to  be  deep  things  that  have  no  bottom,  "  The 
deep  things  of  God."  1  Cor.  2  :  10.  All  the  raptures 
and  ecstasies  of  the  glorious  joy  of  the  saints  in  the 
other  world  break  in  upon  them  from  their  vision  of 
God. 

There  is  enough  to  fill  up  their  wills  and  affec- 
tions :  there  is  infinite  goodness,  incomprehensible 
love,  marvellous  loving-kindness,  unspeakable  de- 
lights, glorious  joys.  "  Oh,  how  great  is  thy  good- 
ness, which  thou  hast  laid  up  for  them  that  fear 
thee  !"  Psa.  31 :  19.  "  Oh,  how  great  is  thy  good- 
ness :"  it  is  the  voice  of  exultation,  an  admiring 
word  ;  great  beyond  expression,  great  beyond  imagi- 
nation. "  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither 
have  entered  into  the  heart  of  man  the  things  which 
God  hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him :"  it  is  the 
voice  of  a  heart  leaping  for  joy,  rejoicing  in  hope  of 
the  glory  of  God  which  is  laid  up  for  his  saints. 
"Laid  up;  where?"  Why,  laid  up  in  himself:  that 
is  the  fountain,  that  is  the  treasury;  there  is  love, 
there  is  joy,  there  is  satisfaction ;  our  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.  0  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints.  0 
bless  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints.  He  that  is  mighty 
has  done  for  you  great  tilings :  "  Since  the  beginning 
of  the  world  men  have  not  heard,  nor  perceived  by 
the  ear,  neither  hath  the  eye  seen,  0  God,  besides 
thee,  what  he  hath  prepared  for  him  that  waiteth 
for  him."  Isaiah  64  :  4.  Or,  as  it  is  in  the  margin, 
"  There  hath  not  been  heard  or  seen  a  God  besides 
thee,  which  doeth  so  for  him  that  waiteth  for  him." 


14  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

There  is  enough  to  fill  up  our  time:  there  is 
admiring  work,  and  praising  work  for  ever ;  there  is 
matter  for  love  and  joy  to  live  and  feed  upon  for 
ever ;  endless  praises,  eternal  pleasures,  everlasting 
rejoicings,  "  everlasting  joy,"  "  pleasures  for  ever- 
more." There  is  enough  to  reward  all  our  labors, 
and  repay  all  our  expenses ;  there  is  a  full  reward. 
"  Fear  not,  Abraham;  I  am  thy  shield  and  thy  ex- 
ceeding great  reward."  Gen.  15:1.  Christian,  thou 
shalt  not  serve  the  Lord  for  naught,  he  will  reward 
thee :  and  it  is  little  in  his  eyes  that  thou  shouldest 
serve  him  for  corn  and  for  wine,  for  sheep  and  for 
oxen,  yea,  for  the  crowns  and  kingdoms  of  this  world ; 
these  shall  not  be  thy  hire;  the  everlasting  God  will 
be  thy  reward,  thine  exceeding  great  reward ;  exceed- 
ing not  thy  work  only,  but  thy  very  thoughts  also. 
A  little  is  too  much  for  thy  earnings,  but  the  whole 
world  is  too  little  for  his  bounty.  Less  than  nothing 
might  satisfy  for  thy  labors,  but  less  than  himself 
will  not  satisfy  for  his  love  :  the  eternal  God  will  be 
thy  reward.  Oh,  the  unsearchable  riches  of  the  poor- 
est of  saints.  Poor  ;  what,  and  yet  hast  a  God  ?  In 
want ;  what,  and  yet  hast  all  things  ?  Is  he  God 
that  is  thine,  and  art  thou  still  in  straits  ?  Would  a 
few  sheep  and  oxen,  vineyards  and  olive-yards  make 
thee  a  rich  man,  and  can  God  leave  thee  a  beggar  ? 
Is  not  a  pearl  more  than  pebbles ;  milk  and  wine 
better  than  mud  and  water  ?  Men  use  to  say,  Money 
is  all  things — meat,  and  drink,  and  clothes,  and 
friends,  and  land — virtually  all  things.  And  is  not 
God  more  than  money  ?    Sure  he  has  said  to  his  gold, 


GOD  IN  THE   COVENANT.  15 

"  Thou  art  my  god,"  who  cannot  say,  Let  God  be 
mine,  and  then  go  thou  thy  way.  Hast  thou  a  God, 
and  yet  art  thou  poor  ?  Nay,  further,  would  the  fat- 
ness of  the  earth  and  the  fulness  of  heaven,  if  thou 
hadst  both,  be  enough  for  thee  ?  Would  corn,  and 
wine,  and  houses,  and  lands,  and  pleasures  here,  and 
eternal  life  hereafter  suffice  thee  ?  And  is  not  God 
alone  as  much  as  all  this  ?  Dost  thou  want  star- 
light when  thou  hast  the  sun  ?  Is  the  ocean  more 
full  for  the  rivers  that  run  into  it  ?  Or  would  there 
be  any  want  there,  if  all  these  were  stopped  and  dry  ? 
Can  they  contribute  to  it  which  have  their  rise  from 
it?  Has  the  Almighty  God  a  self-sufficiency,  and 
has  he  not  enough  to  satisfy  a  poor  worm  ?  Is  he 
blessed  in  himself,  and  may  est  not  thou  be  blessed  in 
him?  He  that  thinks  any  thing  less  than  God  will 
suffice,  understands  not  a  soul ;  and  he  that  wants 
any  thing  more,  understands  not  God.  God  alone  is 
as*  much  as  God  and  all  the  world ;  and  this  is  the 
heritage  of  the  servants  of  the  Lord,  God  is  their 
portion. 

If  enough  be  not  yet  said,  look  awhile,  and  con- 
sider whence  thou  art  taken  up  into  this  blessedness. 
What  hast  thou  left!  What  an  exchange  hast  thou 
made!  Thou  wert  taken  with  the  prodigal  from  the 
trough,  with  the  beggar  from  the  dunghill,  yea,  as  a 
brand  out  of  the  burning ;  there  thy  lot  had  fallen. 
Oh,  where  hast  thou  left  the  rest  of  the  world  ?  Bless- 
ing themselves  in  vanity,  pleasing  themselves  with 
shadows  and  apparitions,  feeding  on  ashes,  warming 
themselves  at  their  painted  fire,  sporting  themselves 


1G  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

with  the  wind,  rejoicing  in  a  thing  of  naught :  their 
crackling  thorns,  their  flattering  pleasures,  their  drink- 
ings  and  dancings  and  roarings,  their  horses  and  their 
dogs,  their  hawks  and  their  harlots ;  making  a  shift 
awhile  to  make  merry  with  these  while  they  are 
hastening  to  the  pit,  to  that  fire  and  brimstone  which 
is  the  portion  of  their  cup. 

Consider,  what  is  the  chaff  to  the  wheat?  What 
is  a  comet  to  the  sun  ?  What  is  the  night  to  the  day  ? 
What  are  bubbles  and  children's  toys  to  the  durable 
riches  ?  What  are  things  that  are  not,  to  him  whose 
name  is  I  AM  ?  But  Oh,  what  are  death  and  wrath 
and  the  curse,  which  were  once  all  thy  heritage,  to 
that  life  and  love  and  peace  and  joy  and  glory,  which 
thou  now  possessest  in  that  Grod  who  is  thy  portion  ? 
What  a  poor  wretch  wert  thou  once,  when  thou  hadst 
nothing  but  sin  and  shame  and  misery  that  thou 
couldst  call  thine  own.  These  thou  mightest  call 
thine — sin  was  thine,  woe  was  thine,  death  and  fhe 
grave  and  the  curse  and  the  pit  were  thine  own ;  but 
that  was  all  thou  hadst :  thy  good  things  thou  livedst 
upon,  had  they  been  of  ever  so  great  value,  were  none 
of  thine ;  thy  house  and  thy  lands  are  none  of  thine  ; 
thy  gold  and  thy  silver  and  thy  substance  are  none 
of  thine  ;  they  are  all  but  borrowed,  or  committed  to 
thee  as  a  steward,  and  all  to  be  given  up  on  demand ; 
and  what  thou  hast  spent  of  them  thou  must  be 
brought  to  a  reckoning  for :  a  poor  wretch  thou  wert, 
and  hadst  just  nothing;  for  all  that  thou  hadst  was 
none  of  thine. 

But  now,  God  is  thine  own,  all  that  he  is,  all  that 


GOD  IN  THE  COVENANT.  17 

he  has  is  thine ;  never  couldst  thou  lay  such  a  claim 
to  any  thing  thou  possessedst;  to  house,  or  wife,  or 
child,  or  body,  or  soul,  as  now  thou  rnayest  to  thy 
God.  God.  is  as  surely  thine  as  thou  art  thyself:  as 
sure  as  thou  art  a  man,  thou  hast  a  God. 

Come,  Christian,  here  is  now  thy  portion ;  the 
light  of  thine  eyes,  the  lifting  up  of  thy  head,  the  joy 
of  thy  heart,  the  strength  of  thy  bones,  thy  stock,  thy 
treasure,  thy  life,  thy  health,  thy  peace,  thy  rest,  thine 
all :  "Whom  have  I  in  heaven,  but  thee?  and  there  is 
none  upon  earth  that  I  desire  besides  thee.  My  flesh 
and  my  heart  faileth ;  but  God  is  the  strength  of  ral- 
licart, and  my  portion  for  ever."  Psalm  73 :  25,  26. 
Here  is  thy  portion,  know  it  for  thy  good,  take  it  for 
thine  own  ;  live  upon  it,  and.  live  up  to  it. 

1.  Live  upon  thy  portion.  Here  thou  mayest  feed, 
herein  thou  mayest  rejoice,  herein  thou  mayest  bless 
thyself  for  ever.  "Let  him  that  blesseth  himself  on 
the  earth,  bless  himself  in  the  God.  of  truth."  Let 
him  that  rejoiceth  in  the  earth,  rejoice  in  the  God  of 
truth.  Let  the  strong  man  live  upon  his  strength,  let 
the  wise  man  live  upon  his  wits,  let  the  rich  man  live 
upon  his  lands ;  but  come  thou,  live  upon  thy  God ; 
come,  enjoy  God  and  thy  soul ;  enjoy  God  in  thy  soul, 
enjoy  thy  soul  in  God.  Thou  hast  possession,  what 
should,  hinder  thy  fruition?  In  fruition,  the  schools 
tell  us,  there  are  three  things  which  go  to  make  it  up: 
knowledge,  delight,  and  satisfaction. 

Knowledge.  According  to  the  clearness  or  cloudi- 
ness of  our  apprehensions  of  any  good,  we  more  or 
less  take  the  pleasure  or  comfort  of  it ;  and  therefore 


18  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  full  fruition  of  God  is  not  till  at  last,  when  we 
shall  know  as  we  are  known.  Here  we  see  as  but  in 
a  glass,  and  darkly;  we  know  but  in  part,  and  while 
we  know  but  in  part,  we  love  but  in  part  and  joy  but 
in  part ;  the  dimness  of  our  sight  makes  an  abatement 
of  our  joy.  When  the  veil  shall  be  taken  away,  when 
we  shall  come  to  see  face  to  face,  then  we  shall  fully 
feel  what  it  is  to  have  a  God.  Christian,  know  thou 
the  God  of  thy  fathers ;  the  more  thou  knowest,  the 
more  thou  hast. 

The  carnal  world  enjoy  not  God  at  all ;  God  is  not 
known  in  their  tabernacles  :  in  Judah  is  God  known, 
his  name  is  great  in  Israel ;  at  Salem  is  his  taber- 
nacle, and  his  dwelling  in  Zion.  But  what  of  God  in 
Edom,  or  Ammon,  or  Amalek,  or  Egypt;  those  dark 
regions  wherein  neither  sun  nor  star  appears  ?  Leave 
them  to  their  dunghill  gods,  to  the  gardens  which 
they  have  desired  and  the  oaks  which  they  have  cho- 
sen. The  Lord  is  before  thee,  know  it  for  thy  good. 
Study  thy  God,  Christian ;  roll  over  his  sweetness  in 
thy  mind,  as  thou  dost  the  sweet  morsel  in  thy  mouth ; 
see  what  he  is,  and  what  thou  hast  laid  up  in  him ; 
read  over  daily  his  glorious  names ;  walk  through 
those  chambers  of  his  presence,  his  glorious  attri- 
butes. Look  into  the  chamber  of  his  power,  and  see 
what  thou  hast  laid  up  for  thee  there.  Go  into  the 
chamber  of  his  wisdom,  and  see  what  that  will  afford 
thee.  Look  into  the  chambers  of  his  goodness,  mercy, 
faithfulness,  holiness,  and  behold  what  treasures  are 
laid  up  for  thee  in  each  of  these.  Enter  into  thy 
chambers,  they  are  all  thine ;  let  thine  eye  be  there, 


GOD  IN  THE  COVENANT.  19 

let  thy  meditation  be  there,  let  thy  soul  be  there  every 
day;  there  is  thy  portion,  search  it  out  and  know  it 
for  thy  good. 

Delight.  Fruition  is  taking  the  pleasure  of  what 
we  have.  We  cannot  enjoy  what  we  do  not  love,  and 
love  implies  delight.  We  cannot  enjoy  that  wherein 
we  do  not  joy.  "Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord."  Psa. 
37:4.  "I  sat  down  under  his  shadow  with  great 
delight."  Sol.  Song  2:3.  If  his  shadow  be  so  pleas- 
ant, what  will  his  sunbeams  be?  "0  taste,  and  see 
that  the  Lord  is  good."  Psa.  34  :  8.  Our  senses  help 
our  understandings  ;  we  cannot  by  the  most  rational 
discourse  perceive  what  the  sweetness  of  honey  is ; 
taste  it,  and  you  shall  perceive  it.  "His  fruit  was 
sweet  unto  my  taste."  Dwell  in  the  light  of  the 
Lord,  and  let  thy  soul  be  always  ravished  with  his 
love.  Get  out  the  marrow  and  the  fatness  that  thy 
portion  yields  thee.  Let  fools  learn  by  beholding  thy 
face,  how  dim  their  blazes  are  to  the  brightness  of 
thy  day. 

Let  thy  delights  in  God  be  pure  and  unmixed 
delights.  Let  thy  spirit  be  so  filled  with  God,  and 
so  raised  above  carnal  joys,  that  it  be  no  damp  upon 
thee  to  have  nothing  but  God.  Live  above,  in  that 
serene  air  which  is  not  defiled  with  earthly  exhala- 
tions. Sickly  bodies,  and  so  sickly  souls  cannot  live 
in  too  pure  an  air.  Be  so  wholly  spiritual,  that  spir- 
itual joys,  spiritual  delights  may  be  suited  to  thee 
and  sufficient  for  thee.  Do  not  say,  I  want  the  joy 
of  the  vintage  and  of  tthe  harvest ;  I  want  the  joy  of 
the  bridegroom  and  of  the  bride  ;  I  want  the  sound  of 


20  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  millstones  and  the  light  of  the  candle,  to  make 
my  comfort  full.  Let  the  joy  of  the  Lord  be  thy 
strength  and  thy  life ;  say  with  the  prophet,  "  Al- 
though the  fig-tree  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall 
fruit  be  in  the  vines ;  the  labor  of  the  olive  shall  fail, 
and  the  fields  shall  yield  no  meat ;  the  flock  shall  be 
cut  off  from  the  fold,  and  there  shall  be  no  herd  in  the 
stalls ;  yet  I  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  I  will  joy  in  the 
God  of  my  salvation."    Hab.  3  :  17,  18. 

Satisfaction.  The  quiet,  or  resting  of  the  soul  in 
its  portion.  Therefore  the  schools  say  that  the  last 
end  only  is  the  proper  object  of  fruition.  The  carnal 
world,  whatever  they  possess,  cannot  be  said  properly 
to  enjoy  it,  though  it  be  their  god  that  they  live  upon; 
as  their  drag-  is  thsir  god,  their  gold  is  their  god,  their 
plough  and  their  plenty  and  their  pleasure  is  their 
god  ;  they  burn  incense  to  them,  yet  they  cannot  en- 
joy them;  there  is  no  rest  for  them  in  their  god. 
"What  man  is  he  that  feareth  the  Lord?  his  soul 
shall  dwell  at  ease."  Psa.  25  :  12,  13.  In  the  original 
it  is,  "shall  lodge  in  goodness."  The  soul  is  never  at 
ease  while  it  is  in  want,  every  want  wrings  it;  it 
can  never  take  up  its  lodging  where  it  cannot  take  its 
rest.  His  soul  shall  be  at  ease  ;  shall  lodge,  that  is, 
shall  take  up  its  rest  in  the  goodness  of  God :  when 
we  find  rest  in  our  beds,  then  we  enjoy  them.  Is  thy 
soul  lodged  in  God  ?  0  enjoy  thy  lodging.  "  Return 
to  thy  rest,  0  my  soul,  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  boun- 
tifully with  thee."  As  it  was  said  to,  so  let  it  be  said 
by  the  church  and  every  saint,  "  This  is  my  rest,  here 
will  I  dwell  for  ever."     Here  thou  mayest  find  rest 


GOD  IN   THE   COVENANT.  21 

when  thou  hast  no  other  rock  to  lean  upon ;  thou 
ma  vest  be  at  rest  in  thy  God,  in  thy  most  restless 
state,  in  a  weary  land,  in  a  barren  wilderness,  in  a 
tempestuous  ocean.  However  it  was  in  the  vision  of 
the  prophet,  yet  thou  may  est  say,  If  the  wind  rise, 
the  Lord  is  in  the  wind  ;  if  after  the  wind  an  earth- 
quake, the  Lord  is  in  the  earthquake ;  if  after  the 
earthquake  a  fire,  the  Lord  God  is  in  the  fire ;  and, 
wherever  thou  findest  God,  thou  mayest  find  rest.  If 
thou  find  God  in  a  wilderness,  thou  wilt  find  rest  in 
the  wilderness;  if  thou  find  God  in  the  earthquake,  or 
the  tempest,  or  the  fire,  even  there  also  thy  soul  shall 
find  rest.  When  thou  canst  not  rest  in  thy  bed,  nor 
in  thy  house,  nor  in  thy  land,  thou  mayest  still  rest 
in  thy  God.  Say,  Christian,  say  again,  "Return  to 
thy  rest,  0  my  soul,  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  bounti- 
fully with  thee."  Though  my  helps  fail  me,  and  my 
friends  fail  me,  and  my  flesh  and  my  heart  fail  me, 
"  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart  and  my  portion  for 
ever.     This  is  my  rest,  here  will  I  dwell  for  ever." 

To  these  I  might  add  a  fourth  thing  wherein  fru- 
ition consists — the  making-  use  of  our  portion.  He 
enjoys,  who  uses  what  he  has.  We  enjoy  our  por- 
tion, when  we  have  a  power  and  heart  to  make  use 
of  it  on  all  occasions.  "  I  am  thine,  soul ;  come  and 
make  use  of  me  as  thou  wilt,  thou  mayest  freely;  I 
have  nothing  that  is  not  for  thee  ;  thou  mayest  freely 
come  to  my  store ;  and  the  oftener,  the  better  welcome." 
Have  thou  not  a  God  lying  by  thee  to  no  purpose ;  let 
not  thy  God  be  as  others'  gods,  serving  only  for  a 
show.     Have  not  a  name,  only  that  thou  hast  a  God  : 


22  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

since  he  allows  thee,  having  such  a  Friend,  use  him 
daily:  "My  God  shall  supply  all  your  wants;"  never 
want  while  thou  hast  a  God,  never  fear  or  faint  while 
thou  hast  a  God :  go  to  thy  treasure,  and  take  what- 
ever thou  needest;  there  are  bread  and  clothes,  and 
health  and  life,  and  all  that  thou  needest.  0,  Chris- 
tian, learn  the  divine  skill  to  make  God  thine  all,  to 
find  in  thy  God  bread  and  water  and  health  and 
friends  and  ease ;  he  can  supply  thee  with  all  these ; 
or,  which  is  better,  he  can  be,  instead  of  all  these,  thy 
food,  thy  clothing,  thy  friend,  thy  life.  All  this  he 
has  said  to  thee  in  this  one  word,  "I  am  thy  God;" 
and  hereupon  thou  mayest  say,  I  have  no  husband, 
and  yet  I  am  no  widow;  my  Maker  is  my  husband. 
I  have  no  father  nor  friend,  and  yet  I  am  neither  fa- 
therless nor  friendless ;  my  God  is  both  my  Father  and 
my  Friend.  I  have  no  child;  but  is  not  he  better  to 
me  than  ten  children  ?  I  have  no  house,  but  yet  I 
have  a  home  ;  I  have  made  the  Most  High  my  habita- 
tion. I  am  left  alone,  but  yet  I-  am  not  alone ;  my 
God  is  good  company  for  me ;  with  him  I  can  walk, 
with  him  I  can  take  sweet  counsel,  find  sweet  repose  ; 
at  my  lying  down,  at  my  rising  up,  while  I  am  in 
the  house,  as  I  walk  by  the  way,  my  God  is  ever  with 
me ;  with  him  I  travel,  I  dwell,  I  lodge,  I  live,  and 
shall  live  for  ever. 

2.  Live  up  to  your  privilege.  Live  according  to 
your  rank  and  quality,  according  to  your  riches  laid 
up  for  you  in  God.  The  rich  men  of  this  world  live 
like  rich  men,  they  sort  themselves  with  persons  of 
their  own  quality,  attend  on  the  courts  of  princes,  are 


GOD  IN  THE   COVENANT.  23 

employed  about  the  palace ;  you  may  read  their 
estates  in  the  whole  way  of  their  life ;  they  wear 
them  on  their  hacks,  spread  their  tables  with  them ; 
they  live  sumptuously,  and  fare  delicately.  Chris- 
tians, feed  not  on  ashes  or  husks,  you  have  better 
meat ;  you  have  milk  and  honey,  marrow  and  fat- 
ness, the  hidden  manna,  the  bread  that  comes  down 
from  heaven,  the  water  of  life ;  you  have  blessed  priv- 
ileges, precious  promises,  lively  hopes,  living  comforts, 
glorious  joys,  the  fountain  of  life  to  feed  your  souls 
upon :  come  eat,  0  friends ;  drink,  yea,  drink  abun- 
dantly, 0  beloved ;  outfare  the  rich  man,  who  fared 
sumptuously  every  day ;  you  have  enough  to  main- 
tain it ;  let  every  day  be  a  glad  day,  a  feast-day  with 
you. 

Let  your  clothing  be  according  to  your  feeding. 
Be  clothed  with  the  sun ;  put  on  the  Lord  Jesus. 
"The  King's  daughter  is" — and  so  let  all  the  King's 
sons  be — "all  glorious  within;"  let  their  clothing  be 
of  wrought  gold.  Be  clothed  with  humility,  put  on 
love,  bowels  of  compassion,  gentleness,  meekness;  put 
on  the  garments  of  salvation. 

Let  your  company  and  converse  be  according  to 
your  clothing.  Live  among  the  excellent,  among 
the  generation  of  the  just.  Get  you  up  to  the  "gen- 
eral assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,"  to  that 
"innumerable  company  of  angels,  and  to  the  spirits 
of  just  men  made  perfect."  Live  in  the  courts  of  the 
great  King,  behold  his  face,  wait  at  his  throne,  bear 
his  name,  show  forth  his  virtues,  set  forth  his  praises, 
advance  his  honor,  uphold  his  interest :  let  vile  per- 


24  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

sons  and  vile  ways  be  contemned  in  your  eyes ;  be 
of  more  raised  spirits  than  to  be  companions  with 
them.  Learn  hence  a  holy  elevation  of  spirit.  Re- 
gard not  their  society  nor  their  scorns,  their  flatteries 
or  their  frowns ;  rejoice  not  with  their  joys,  fear  not 
their  fear,  care  not  for  their  care,  feed  not  on  their 
dainties  ;  get  you  up  from  among  them,  to  your  coun- 
try, to  your  city,  where  no  unclean  tiling  can  enter 
or  annoy.  Live  by  faith,  in  the  power  of  the  Spirit, 
in  the  beauty  of  holiness,  in  the  hope  of  the  gospel,  in 
the  joy  of  your  God,  in  the  magnificence,  and  yet  the 
humility,  of  the  children  of  the  great  King. 

III.  He  is  their  Sun.  He  will  discover  and  make 
manifest  to  them  the  riches  and  glory  of  their  portion. 
He  has  granted  them  himself  for  their  portion,  and  he 
will  reveal  and  make  manifest  to  them  what  a  portion 
he  is.  He  will  make  manifest  both  the  blessedness 
they  shall  enjoy  in  him,  and  the  way  to  it,  and  also 
the  dangers  that  lie  in  the  way.  "The  Lord  God  is 
a  sun."  Psalm  84 :  11.  The  sun  is  the  light  of  the 
world,  it  discovers  itself  and  all  things  else.  We  can- 
not see  the  glory  of  the  sun  but  by  its  own  light ;  the 
moon,  the  planets,  the  firmament,  and  all  this  lower 
world  would  disappear,  if  the  sun  withdrew  its  light. 
Beauty  and  deformity,  safety  and  danger,  the  right 
way  and  the  wrong,  are  all  brought  to  view  by  the 
light  of  the  sun  ;  the  sunlight  makes  the  day  ;  night 
is  spread  over  the  world  when  the  sun  is  set.  So  God 
is  glorious  ;  but  who  would  be  ever  the  wiser,  did  not 
this  glory  shine?  uIn  thy  light  shall  we  see  light." 
Psa.  36 : 9.     "Why  is  the  glorious  God  apprehended, 


GOD  IN  THE  COVENANT.  25 

understood,  admired,  by  so  few  among  the  sons  of 
men  ?  Because  he  is  out  of  sight ;  the  sun  is  not 
risen  upon  them,  nor  shines  unto  them :  they  have 
moonlight  or  starlight,  some  dimmer  reflections  of  tins 
glory  at  second-hand ;  but  they  see  not  the  sun. 

What  is  the  reason  that  truth  and  falsehood,  good 
and  evil,  substances  and  shadows,  things  perishing 
and  things  permanent,  are  no  better  distinguished  ? 
What  is  the  reason  that  men  are  so  mistaken  and 
misguided  in  their  judgments,  in  their  choice,  in  their 
way;  that  they  are  at  such  a  loss,  such  wanderers 
from  their  bliss  ?  AVhat  is  the  reason  that  men's  own 
sparks,  the  light  of  their  own  fires,  their  candlelight 
or  torchlight,  their  fleshly  imaginations,  their  carnal 
prosperity,  their  pleasures,  their  ease,  their  earthly 
glory,  and  their  carnal  joys  that  hence  flash  up  to 
them,  are  so  adored  and  admired  by  them  ?  0,  they 
see  not  the  sun.  God  is  out  of  sight ;  and  thence  are 
all  their  foolish  mistakes  and  miscarriages.  God  will 
be  a  sun  to  his  saints.  "Thy  sun  shall  no  luore  go 
down."  They  shall  have  a  right  to  the  comfort  of 
this  glorious  sun ;  he  will  show  them  his  face,  he  will 
cause  his  glory  to  appear,  he  will  lead  them  into  him- 
self by  his  own  beams  ;  he  will  show  them  their  end, 
and  the  means — the  goal,  and  their  way  to  it ;  he  will 
show  them  the  good  part,  and  the  right  path ;  good 
and  evil,  duties  and  sins,  realities  and  delusions,  helps 
and  hinderances,  dangers  and  advantages,  their  snares 
and  their  succors,  will  all  be  discovered  to  them  by 
the  light  of  the  Lord. 

Hearken,  thou  poor  and  dark  soul,  that  hast  cho- 

He.ivcn  Opened.  2 


2b  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

sen,  but  thou  knowest  not  what ;  that  art  going,  hut 
thou  knowest  not  whither ;  that  art  wandering  and 
stumbling  on,  hut  thou  carest  not  how ;  that  corn- 
plainest  thou  canst  not  see,  thou  canst  not  value,  thou 
canst  not  he  affected  with  all  the  glory  and  joy  of  the 
invisible  world ;  that  findest  thy  husks  and  thy  trash 
to  be  a  greater  pleasure  to  thee  than  all  the  riches  of 
immortality;  that  would  est  fain  mind  and  choose  and 
love  and  relish  and  seek  God  and  things  above,  but 
thou  canst  not :  thou  seest  so  little  of  the  beauty  of 
them,  that  they  do  not  entice  thy  heart  after  them ; 
and  when  thou  art  seeking,  thou  art  at  a  loss  and  in 
the  dark  as  to  the  way  that  thou  shouldest  take. 
Hearken,  soul,  thy  God  calls  to  thee :  Come  unto 
me,  look  unto  me,  and  I  will  be  thy  sun ;  I  will  show 
thee  all  that  glory,  and  the  right  way  that  will  bring 
thee  to  it ;  I  promise  thee  I  will ;  trust  me,  I  will  be 
a  light  unto  thee. 

IV.  Their  Shield.  "  The  Lord  God  is  a  sun  and 
a  shield."  Psa.  84 :  11.  The  gods  of  the  earth  are 
styled,  "the  shields  of  the  earth,"  Psa.  47  : 9;  much 
more  the  God  of  glory.  Faith  is  called  a  shield : 
"Above  all,  taking  the  shield  of  faith."  Eph.  6 :  16. 
This  signifies  the  same  as  "  God  is  a  shield."  Faith  is 
to  the  soul  whatever  God  is.  This  is  the  grace  that 
entitles  the  soul  to  God,  and  applies  God  to  the  soul. 
"  Fear  not,  Abraham ;  I  am  thy  shield."  Gen.  15  : 1. 
What  is  promised  to  the  father  of  the  faithful,  stands 
sure  to  all  the  seed.  Rom.  4  :  16.  The  state  of  Chris- 
tians in  this  life  is  a  militant  state,  a  state  full  of 
hardships  and  hazards ;    by  reason  whereof,   richly 


GOD  IN  THE   COVENANT.  27 

as  they  are  provided  for,  they  are  subject  to  fears  of 
being  undone  and  spoiled  of  all.  They  are  in  fears 
about  things  eternal ;  they  have  spiritual  adversaries 
that  lie  in  wait  for  their  souls,  that  fight  against  their 
souls,  that  are  tempting  them,  and  enticing  them  from 
their  God ;  that  watch  their  opportunities  to  steal 
away  their  God,  by  stealing  away  their  hearts  from 
him  ;  and  such  dangerous  attempts  of  this  kind  they 
meet  withal,  that  they  often  are  in  great  doubt  what 
the  issue  may  be.  They  are  in  fears  about  things 
temporal ;  their  names  are  shot  at,  their  liberties  are 
invaded,  their  estates,  with  all  the  comforts  of  their 
lives,  are  in  danger  to  be  made  a  prey ;  to-day  they  are 
a  praise,  to-morrow  a  scorn  ;  to-day  they  are  full  and 
abound,  to-morrow  they  may  have  nothing  left;  they 
die  daily;  they  are  "killed  all  the  day  long."  But 
whatever  their  dangers  and  their  fears  are,  here  is  suffi- 
cient provision  made  against  all:  God  is  their  shield. 
Christian,  thou  hast  enough,  and  all  that  thou  hast 
is  in  safety.  Thou  art  compassed  about  with  a  shield, 
secured  on  all  hands,  there  is  no  coming  at  thee  to  do 
thee  harm.  Whatever  assaults  are  made,  thy  God  is 
a  wall  of  partition  between  thee  and  harm.  They  are 
not  shields  of  brass  and  iron  thou  art  furnished  with; 
the  strong  God  is  thy  defence.  Wherefore  dost  thou 
doubt,  0  thou  of  little  faith  ?  A  Christian,  and  yet 
afraid  ;  shifting  for  thyself;  taking  care  for  the  asses 
and  oxen  and  sheep  ;  vexing  and  loading  and  losing 
thyself,  in  thy  cares  and  fears  from  day  to  day  ?  Where 
is  thy  God,  man  ?  Doth  not  God  take  care  for  oxen 
and  asses  and  all  that  thou  hast  ? 


28  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

But  0,  what  meanest  thou  by  this  ?  To  be  shift- 
ing thyself  from  danger,  by  shrinking  back  from  thy 
God  ;  securing  thyself  from  affliction,  by  taking  sanc- 
tuary in  iniquity !  What  art  thou  doing  but  throwing 
away  thy  shield  to  save  thee  from  harm ;  making  a 
breach  in  thy  wall,  to  keep  thee  in  safety?  "Walk 
before  me,  and  be  thou  perfect,"  saith  God ;  and  then, 
"Fear  not,  Abraham ;  I  am  thy  shield."  Gen.  15  : 1 ; 
17  : 1.  This  now  is  the  first  and  great  promise  of  the 
covenant,  "I  am  thy  God." 


CHRIST  IN  THE   COVENANT.  29 


CHAPTER    II. 

CHRIST  IN  THE   COVENANT. 

God  has  put  Christ  into  the  covenant,  and  made 
him  over  to  his  people  :  "I  will  give  thee  for  a  cove- 
nant." Isa.  42  :  6.  He  who  is  promised  as  the  chief 
matter,  the  mediator,  surety,  and  scope  of  the  cove- 
nant, is  called,  The  Covenant.  "I  will  give  thee  for 
a  covenant ;"  that  is,  I  covenant  to  give  thee  to  the 
people. 

Dost  thou  say,  "Whatever  glory  and  blessedness 
there  is  in  the  fruition  of  God,  woe  is  me,  there  is  a 
great  gulf  fixed  "between  me  and  it,  over  which  there 
is  no  passing ;  there  is  a  partition- wall  raised,  over 
which  there  is  no  climbing;  there  is  a  handwriting 
against  me,  and  while  that  stands,  all  that  is  in  God 
is  nothing  to  me.  Were  this  God  mine,  I  had  enough. 
Let  me  be  put  to  labor  or  to  suffering ;  let  me  dig,  or 
beg,  or  starve  and  die ;  whether  I  be  rich  or  poor,  have 
something  or  nothing,  be  a  praise  or  a  reproach,  it 
matters  not,  if  God  be  mine.  But  0,  how  may  I  ob- 
tain this  ?     Who  shall  bring  me  to  God  ?" 

The  Lord  God  hath  given  thee  his  Son  to  undertake 
for  thee,  and  to  be  thy  way  unto  the  Father.  Heb. 
10:19,20.  Jesus  Christ — who  is  the  Morning-star, 
the  Sun  of  righteousness,  the  image  of  the  invisible 
God,  the  first-born  of  every  creature,  by  whom  are  all 


30  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

things,  who  is  before  all  things,  the  head  of  the  body 
the  church ;  who  is  the  beginning,  the  first-born  from 
the  dead,  in  whom  dwells  all  fulness,  even  the  fulness 
of  the  godhead  bodily;  who  has  made  peace  by  the 
blood  of  his  cross,  Colossians,  chs.  1,  2 ;  whose  name  is, 
"  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  the  mighty  God,  the  ever- 
lasting Father,  the  Prince  of  peace,"  Isa.  9  :  6 — this 
Jesus  is  granted  thee  in  the  covenant,  to  bring  thee  to 
God.  To  which  blessed  and  glorious  purpose  he  is 
exhibited  as  the  Light  of  life;  as  the  Lord  our  right- 
eousness; as  our  Lord  and  King;  and  as  our  Head 
and  Husband. 

I.  As  the  Light  of  life.  "A  light  to  lighten  the 
Gentiles,  and  the  glory  of  thy  people  Israel."  Luke 
2  :  32.  "In  him  was  life,  and  the  life  was  the  light 
of  men."  John  1  :  4.  "He  that  followeth  me  shall 
have  the  light  of  life."  John  8  :  12.  There  is  a  light 
that  serves  to  kill  and  destroy,  to  bring  death  and 
condemnation  to  light :  the  light  of  the  law,  that  kill- 
ing letter  concerning  which  the  apostle  says,  "When 
the  commandment  came,  sin  revived,  and  I  died ;  the 
commandment  which  was  ordained  to  life^  I  found  to 
be  unto  death."  Rom.  7  :  9,  10.  But  Christ  brings 
life  and  immortality  to  light.  Heaven,  glory,  the  in- 
visible God,  which  are  lost  out  of  reach  and  out  of 
ken,  are  all  discovered  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ  j 
"To  give  the  light  of  the  knowledge  of  the  glory  of 
God  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ."  2  Cor.  4  :  6.  He 
is  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  brightness  of  his 
Father's  glory,  the  glass  in  which  by  reflection  we  see 
the  sun.     "Show  us  the  Father,  and  it  sufRceth  us." 


CHRIST  IN  THE   COVENANT.  31 

Why,  says  he,  hast  thou  known  me,  Philip,  and  yet 
say  est  thou,  Show  us  the  Father  ?  "He  that  hath  seen 
me,  hath  seen  the  Father;"  and  this  is  the  light  of 
life.  John  14  :  8,  9.  "This  is  life  eternal,  that  they 
might  know  thee  the  only  true  Grod,  and  Jesus  Christ 
whom  thou  hast  sent."  John  17  :  3. 

II.  As  the  Lord  our  righteousness.  This  is  his 
name:  "He  shall  be  called,  The  Lord  our  righteous- 
ness." Jer.  23  :  6.     To  this  end  he  is  given  to  us, 

1.  As  our  propitiatory  sacrifice:  "The  propitia- 
tion for  our  sins."  1  John,  2  :  2.  "Christ  our  pass- 
over."  1  Cor.  5:7.  "  The  Lamb  slain  from  the  foun- 
dation of  the  world."  Rev.  13  :  8.  Our  price,  our 
ransom,  to  satisfy  justice,  pacify  wrath,  discharge 
from  the  curse;  to  blot  out  the  handwriting,  break 
down  the  wall  of  partition ;  to  finish  the  transgression, 
to  make  an  end  of  sins,  to  make  reconciliation  for 
iniquity,  to  bring  in  everlasting  righteousness,  and  so 
to  bring  us  to  Grod.  Whatever  difficulties  appear  in 
thy  way,  whatever  doubts  ari.se  in  thy  heart,  from  thy 
sins,  from  thy  guilt,  from  thy  poverty,  from  thy  im- 
potence— whatever  objections  thy  fears  may  hence  put 
in,  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  will  answer  all.  Christ 
our  passover  is  sacrificed  for  us. 

2.  As  a  merciful  and  faithful  High-priest,  Heb. 
2  :  17,  who  has  made  an  atonement  for  us  in  the 
earth,  and  appears  for  us  in  heaven;  who  has  made 
reconciliation  for  us,  and  makes  intercession  for  us, 
"to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us."  Heb. 
9  :  24.  We  read,  Exodus  28  :  12,  29,  that  Aaron, 
as  the  type  of  Christ,  was  to  bear  the  names  o[  the 


32  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

children  of  Israel  engraven  in  stones  upon  his  shoul- 
ders and  upon  his  breastplate,  when  he  went  into  the 
holy  place,  for  a  memorial  before  the  Lord  contin- 
ually. Our  Lord  is  entered  into  the  heavens,  to  ap- 
pear in  the  presence  of  Grod  with  our  names  upon  his 
shoulders  and  upon  his  heart,  for  a  memorial  before 
the  Lord :  the  least  of  saints  has  his  name  there  en- 
graven. 

"Here  is  my  ransom,  Lord,"  saith  Christ,  "and 
behold  my  ransomed  ones.  Here  is  my  price  and  my 
purchase,  my  redemption  and  my  redeemed.  What- 
ever accusers  there  be,  whatever  charge  be  laid  against 
them,  whatever  guilt  lies  upon  them,  here  are  the 
shoulders  that  have  borne  all  that  was  their  due,  and 
paid  all  that  they  owe ;  and  upon  these  shoulders  and 
in  this  heart  thou  mayest  read  all  their  names ;  and 
when  thou  readest,  remember  what  I  have  done  for 
them,  acquit  and  absolve  them,  and  let  them  be  ac- 
cepted before  thee  for  ever.  Remember  the  tears  of 
these  eyes,  the  stripes  on  this  back,  the  shame  of  this 
face,  the  groans  of  this  body,  the  anguish  of  this  soul, 
the  blood  of  this  heart ;  and  when  thou  rememberest, 
whatever  name  thou  findest  engraven  upon  this  heart 
and  upon  these  shoulders,  they  are  the  persons  whose 
all  these  are;  and  whatever  these  are,  whatever  ac- 
ceptance they  have  found  with  thee,  whatever  satis- 
faction thou  hast  found  in  them,  put  it  upon  their 
account;  never  let  me  be  accounted  thine  Accepted, 
if  they  be  rejected ;  never  let  me  be  accounted  right- 
eous, if  they  lie  under  the  imputation  of  wicked.  If 
they  be  not  righteous  in  my  righteousness,  I  must  be 


CHRIST  IN  THE  COVENANT.  33 

guilty  under  their  guilt.  Whatever  I  am,  whatever 
my  satisfaction  is,  all  is  theirs;  for  them  I  plead,  for 
them  I  pray ;  my  tears,  stripes,  wounds,  groans, 
anguish,  soul,  blood,  all  cry  and  say,  Father,  forgive 
them ;  Father,  accept  them." 

Of  all  cries  there  are  no  such  strong  cries  as  the 
cry  of  blood,  and  that  whether  it  be  against  or  for 
the  guilty;  its  voice  shall  be  heard  on  high.  "Thy 
brother's  blood  crieth  unto  me  from  the  ground." 
G-en.  4.  And  what  followed  ?  Woe  to  those  persons 
against  whom  blood  crieth.  But  where  blood,  such 
blood  cries  for  them,  for  pardon,  for  mercy,  blessed 
are  those  souls. 

Christian,  this  blood  is  for  thee:  it  "speaketh  bet- 
ter things  than  that  of  Abel."  Heb.  12  :  24.  It  pleads, 
sues,  presses  for  thy  discharge  from  all  that  is  upon 
thee.  Thou  hast  many  cries  against  thee  :  Satan 
cries,  thy  sins  cry,  thine  own  heart  and  conscience 
cry  against  thee,  and  thou  art  amazed  at  the  dread- 
ful noise  they  make  ;  but  behold,  the  blood  of  the 
Lamb,  who  is  God,  cries  for  thee.  Thou  hast  an 
accuser,  but  thou  hast  an  Acquitter ;  thou  hast  adver- 
saries, but  thou  hast  an  Advocate:  "An  Advocate 
with  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous,  who  is 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  1  John,  2  :  1,  2.  "Who 
shall  lay  any  thing  to  the  charge  of  God's  elect  ?  It 
is  God  that  justifieth.  Who  is  he  that  condemneth? 
It  is  Christ  that  died,  yea,  rather,  that  is  risen  again, 
who  is  even  at  the  right  hand  of  God,  who  also  maketh 
intercession  for  us."    Rom.  8  :  33,  34. 

Nay,  further,  thou  hast  not  only  a  righteous,  but 


34  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

a  merciful  High-priest,  that  is  provided  with  a  sacri- 
fice, and  hath  a  heart  to  offer  it  for  thee;  thy  name 
is  in  his  heart  as  well  as  on  his  shoulders,  in  his 
bowels  as  well  as  on  his  hack.  He  hath  blood  for 
thee,  precious  blood;  and  he  hath  bowels  for  thee, 
bowels  of  mercy.  He  can  have  pity  and  compassion 
on  the  miserable.  Heb.  5:2.  If  he  can  find  no 
other,  he  can  find  arguments  enough  from  thy  woe 
and  thy  misery  to  draw  forth  his  soul  towards  thee. 
He  is  merciful,  and  his  mercies  are  tender  mercies ; 
he  is  pitiful,  and  his  compassions  are  tender  compas- 
sions :  thou  art  not  so  tender  of  the  wife  of  thy  bosom, 
of  thine  own  child — thou  art  not  so  tender  of  thine 
own  flesh,  of  the  apple  of  thine  eye,  of  thine  own  soul, 
as  thy  Lord  is  of  thee.  His  Spirit  is  moved  for  thee, 
his  soul  melts  over  thee,  he  bleeds  in  thy  wounds,  he 
suffers  in  thy  sorrows,  his  eye  weeps,  his  heart  breaks 
over  thy  broken  and  undone  state ;  fear  not  his  for- 
getting thee. 

He  is  a  merciful  and  a  faithful  High-priest.  No 
dignity  to  which  he  is  exalted  above  thee,  no  distance 
to  which  he  is  removed  from  thee,  can  make  him  for- 
get his  friends ;  he  is  gone  into  the  heavens,  and  is 
there  exalted  far  above  all  principalities  and  powers, 
and  set  down  at  the  right  hand  of  (rod.  He  is  gone, 
but  he  hath  carried  thy  name  with  him  as  a  perpet- 
ual memorial  for  thee.  Thou  art  unfaithful ;  shame 
to  thee !  thou  forgettest  thy  Lord  at  every  turn ; 
every  business  that  comes,  every  trouble  that  comes, 
every  pleasure  that  comes,  every  companion  that 
comes,  makes  thee  forget  thy  Lord,  forget  his  love, 


CHRIST  IN  THE  COVENANT.  35 

forget  thy  duty :  0,  how  small  a  matter  will  steal 
thy  heart  from  him ;  yea,  stir  up  tumults  and  rebel- 
lions against  him.  Thy  comforts,  thy  hopes,  thy 
needs  which  thou  hast  daily  from  him,  will  not  all 
prevail  to  hold  him  in  remembrance  with  thee.  Thou 
forgettest  thy  Lord,  but  he  will  not  forget  thee ;  though 
thou  hast  been  unfaithful  in  many  things,  yet  he  is  in 
nothing.  "Yet  he  abideth  faithful;  he  cannot  deny 
himself."  2  Tim.  2  :  13.  He  would  not  be  true  to 
himself,  if  he  be  not  faithful  to  thee  ;  his  interest  lies 
in  thee  ;  thou  art  his,  his  possession,  a  member  of  his 
body,  fear  not ;  if  he  should  be  unfaithful  to  thy  soul, 
he  is  therein  unfaithful  to  his  own  body.  If  thy  case 
be  such  that  he  can  help  thee,  if  there  be  any  thing 
wherein  he  can  stead  thee — if  all  that  he  has,  his 
blood,  his  righteousness,  his  interest  with  the  Father, 
will  be  sufficient  for  thy  help,  he  has  undertaken  to 
procure  it  for  thee  and  secure  it  to  thee.  Faithful  is 
he  that  has  called  you,  and  will  do  it. 

This  now  is  that  Jesus  who  is  given  unto  us,  as 
our  propitiatory  Sacrifice,  as  our  merciful  and  faith- 
ful High-priest,  who  suffered  on  the  earth,  and  is 
gone  into  the  heavens  for  us ;  standing  in  lus  red 
robes,  garments  rolled  in  blood — with  the  glorious 
white  inscribed  upon  the  red — pardon,  peace,  absolu- 
tion, acceptance  ;  with  the  names  of  lus  ransomed 
ones  engraven  upon  his  heart  and  upon  his  shoul- 
ders :  this  is  that  Jesus,  who  is  the  Lord  our  right- 
eousness. 

III.  As  our  Lord  and  King.  "  A  King  shall  reign 
in  righteousness,"  and  in  him  shall  the  Gentiles  trust. 


36  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

"  Shout,  0  daughter  of  Jerusalem,  behold  thy  King 
cometh."  Zech.  9:9.  "  The  government  shall  be  on 
his  shoulder."  Isa.  9  :  6.  Grod  hath  more  care  of  his 
saints,  than  to  leave  the  government  of  them  on  their 
shoulder.     Is  not  her  King  in  her  ? 

He  is  a  King  to  gather  them,  a  King  to  govern 
them,  a  King  to  defend  and  save  them :  to  save  them 
from  their  temporal  enemies,  the  sons  of  violence^  the 
men  of  this  evil  world ;  to  save  them  from  their  spir- 
itual enemies,  from  their  sins.  li  Thou  shalt  call  his 
name  Jesus,  for  he  shall  save  his  people  from  their 
sins."  Matt.  1 :21.  It  is  a  mercy  to  be  under  gov- 
ernment and  under  protection.  What  would  become 
of  us  were  there  no  King  in  Israel  ?  Where  there  is 
no  king,  all  are  kings  ;  more  kings  than  men  :  Satan 
will  be  a  king,  every  lust  will  be  a  lord — as  many 
kings  as  there  are  devils  and  sins.  Whither  would 
our  unruly  hearts  carry  us  ?  How  easily  would  our 
wily  and  potent  enemies  ruin  us.  What  tyranny 
would  sin  exercise  within ;  what  cruelty  should  we 
suffer  from  without.  Whither  should  we  wander ; 
where  should  we  fix  ?  What  peace,  what  order,  what 
stability  ?  Whence  should  counsel  and  protection  and 
salvation  come,  were  there  no  Lord  over  us  ?  It  is  a 
mercy  to  be  under  government ;  but  to  be  under  such 
a  government,  under  a  King,  and  such  a  King ;  such 
a  wise  and  potent  King,  such  a  meek  and  merciful 
King,  such  a  holy  and  righteous  King!  Oh,  what  a 
wonder  of  mercy!  "  Rejoice  greatly,  0  daughter  of 
Zion ;  shout,  0  daughter  of  Jerusalem  ;  behold,  thy 
King  cometh  unto  thee :  he  is  just,  and  having  salva- 


CHRIST  IN  THE  COVENANT.  ,  37 

tion ;  lowly,  and  riding  upon  an  ass's  colt."  He  is 
just,  having  salvation;  as  a  Priest  he  hath  purchased, 
as  a  King  he  bestows  his  salvation.  He  comes  not  to 
get,  but  to  give — not  to  give  laws  only,  but  to  give 
gifts  unto  men ;  and  he  gives  like  a  king,  palms, 
crowns,  and  thrones — salvation  to  his  people  by  the 
remission  of  their  sins.  Oh,  how  unthankful ;  0, 
how  foolish  is  this  rebellious  world !  Impatient  of 
subjection,  they  shake  off  the  yoke,  groan  under 
duty,  under  discipline  :  "  We  will  not  have  this  man 
to  rule  over  us."  Who  then  shall  save  you  ?  Hard 
to  be  a  Christian ;  strict  laws,  severe  discipline,  no 
liberty  !  Is  this  thy  complaint,  Christian  ?  Nay, 
rather,  There  is  no  liberty  left  me  to  be  miserable :  if 
I  will  be  his,  I  must  be  happy. 

Let  fools  inherit  their  own  folly,  but  let  Israel 
rejoice  in  him  that  made  him,  let  the  children  of  Zion 
be  joyful  in  their  King ;  for  the  Lord  taketh  pleasure 
in  his  people,  he  will  beautify  the  meek  with  salva- 
tion. Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates  ;  and  be  ye  lifted 
up,  ye  everlasting  doors ;  and  the  King  of  glory  shall 
come  in.  Who  is  this  King  of  glory  ?  The  Lord  of 
hosts,  yea,  the  Lord  our  righteousness,  he  is  the  King 
of  glory.  The  Lord  is  our  Judge,  the  Lord  is  our 
Lawgiver,  the  Lord  is  our  King,  he  will  save  us. 
Praise  ye  the  Lord.  Come  all  ye  Nimrods,  ye  mighty 
hunters  on  the  earth ;  come  all  ye  sons  of  Anak,  ye 
seed  of  the  giants ;  come  all  ye  sons  of  Belial,  ye  seed 
of  the  adulterer ;  come  all  ye  Ishmaelites  and  Am- 
monites, ye  Moabites  and  Hagarenes,  associate,  con- 
federate, take  counsel  together,  smite  with  the  tongue, 


38  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

bite  with  the  teeth,  push  with  the  horn,  kick  with  the 
heel;  come  all  ye  gates  of  hell,  and  powers  of  dark- 
ness ;  thou  dragon  with  all  thy  armies,  with  all  thy 
fiery  darts  and  instruments  of  death;  come  thou  king 
of  terrors  with  thy  fatal  dart :  the  virgin  the  daugh- 
ter of  Zion  has  despised  you  all,  she  has  laughed  you 
to  scorn ;  the  daughter  of  Jerusalem  has  shaken  her 
head  at  you ;  her  King  is  in  the  midst  of  her ;  the 
Lord  is  her  King,  he  will  save  her. 

4.  As  our  Head  and  Husband.  He  that  is  given 
to  be  Head  over  all  things  to  the  church  is  given  to 
be  the  Head  of  the  church,  Eph.  1 :  22,  23,  and  of 
every  member  in  particular.  1  Cor.  11:3.  Believ- 
ers are  all  joined  to  the  Lord.  1  Cor.  6  :  17.  United 
in  Christ  as  fellow-members ;  united  unto  Christ  as 
their  common  Head,  "  from  which  all  the  body,  by 
joints  and  bands,  having  nourishment  ministered,  and 
knit  together,  increaseth  with  the  increase  of  God." 
Col.  2  :  19.  They  are  married  to  Christ :  "I  have 
espoused  you  to  one  Husband."  2  Cor.  11 : 2.  From 
this  union  follows  a  communication  of  influences,  and 
a  combination  of  interests. 

1.  A  communication  of  influences.  "  Having 
nourishment  ministered."  Christ  our  Head  is  our 
Fountain  of  life.  Our  Head  is  our  Heart  also,  out 
of  it  are  the  issues  of  life  ;  from  him  we  live,  and  are 
nourished  and  maintained  in  life.  He  is  our  Joseph, 
all  the  treasures  of  the  holy  land  are  with  him.  "In 
him  are  hid  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  know- 
ledge." Colos.  2:3.  "It  pleased  the  Father  that 
in  him  should  all  fulness  dwell."     Colos.  1 :  19.     He 


CHRIST  IN  THE   COVENANT.  39 

is  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  full  of  grace  and 
truth. 

Here  observe  what  grace  there  is  in  Christ.  The 
schools  tell  us,  that  in  him  there  is  a  threefold  grace. 
1.  The  grace  of  union.  The  human  nature  of  Christ, 
hath  received  the  high  grace  or  favor  to  be  personally 
united  to  the  second  person  hi  the  godhead ;  by  vir- 
tue of  which  union  the  fulness  of  the  godhead  is  said 
to  dwell  in  him  bodily — bodily,  that  is,  personally,  or 
substantially,  in  opposition  to  the  types  and  shadows 
of  the  Old  Testament,  in  which  God  is  said  to  dwell 
in  a  figure.  God  was  said  to  dwell  in  the  tabernacle, 
in  the  ark  of  the  covenant,  in  the  temple ;  but  in 
these  he  dwelt  only  as  figures  and  shadows  of  the 
human  nature  of  Christ.  In  Christ  he  dwells  not  in 
a  figure,  but  personally  and  substantially.  As  Christ, 
Col.  2  :  17,  is  called  the  body,  in  opposition  to  the 
types  of  old,  which  were  but  the  shadow ;  so  bodily 
here  denotes  not  a  figurative,  but  a  personal  inhabi- 
tation. Christ  is  the  body,  not  a  shadow;  and  God 
dwells  in  him  bodily,  that  is,  substantially,  and  not  in 
a  shadow.  2.  Habitual  grace.  All  those  moral  per- 
fections wherein  stands  the  holiness  of  his  nature  : 
the  love  and  fear  of  God ;  his  humility,  meekness, 
patience  ;  in  sum,  Ins  perfect  conformity  to  the  image 
and  whole  will  of  God.  "  Such  a  High-priest  became 
us,  who  is  holy,  harmless,  undefiled,  separate  from 
sinners."  Heb.  7  :  26.  3.  The  honor  which  is  given 
to  him  to  be  Head  of  the  church. 

Also  observe  how  Christ  is  said  to  be  full  of 
grace.     There  is  a  twofold  fulness  of  grace.     In  re- 


40  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

spect  to  grace  itself:  thus  he  is  said  to  be  full  of 
grace,  that  hath  all  grace,  and  hath  it  in  the  greatest 
excellency  and  perfection.  Also,  in  respect  to  the 
person  that  hath  it ;  and  thus  a  person  is  said  to  be 
full  of  grace,  that  hath  as  much  grace  as  he  is  capable 
of.  Christ  is  full  of  grace  in  both  respects :  the  grace 
which  is  in  him,  is  grace  in  the  highest  perfection  of 
it,  and  in  infinite  fulness. 

Observe  also,  that  this  fulness  of  Christ  is  ours, 
and  for  us:  "Of  his  fulness  have  all  we  received, 
and  grace  for  grace."  John  1 :  16.  "  Your  life  is  hid 
with  Christ  in  God."  Col.  3  :  3.  Your  life  :  that  is, 
both  your  spiritual  life,  grace ;  and  your  eternal  life, 
glory.  "  This  is  the  record,  that  God  hath  given  to 
us  eternal  life ;  and  this  life  is  in  his  Son."  1  John, 
5 :  11.  Our  life  is  said  to  be  in  Christ  in  three  re- 
spects. 1.  It  is  hid  in  Christ  as  the  effect  in  the 
cause  :  as  the  life  of  the  branches  is  hid  in  the  root, 
so  is  the  life  of  a  Christian  in  Christ ;  he  is  our  root. 
2.  It  is  deposited  with  Christ :  it  is  laid  up  with  him, 
committed  to  his  trust  and  custody ;  with  him  it  is 
secured  and  put  into  safe  hands.  3.  The  dispensation 
of  it  is  committed  to  him :  from  him  it  is  at  his  pleas- 
ure to  be  imparted  to  us ;  of  his  fulness  we  receive. 
The  Son  hath  life  in  himself,  and  he  giveth  it  to  whom, 
when,  and  in  what  measure  he  pleaseth. 

Christian,  art  thou  nothing  in  thyself  ?  Thou  hast 
enough  in  thy  Jesus.  Art  thou  dark  ?  he  is  a  foun- 
1ain  of  light.  Art  thou  dead?  he  is  a  fountain  of 
life.  Art  thou  poor  and  low,  weak  in  knowledge,  in 
faith,  in  love,  in  patience  ?  he  is  a  treasure  of  all 


CHRIST  IN  THE  COVENANT.  41 

grace ;  and  what  he  is,  he  is  for  thee.  Is  he  wise  ? 
he  is  wise  for  thee.  Is  he  holy  ?  he  is  holy  for  thee. 
Is  he  meek,  merciful,  humble,  patient  ?  he  is  so  for 
thee.  Is  he  strong ;  is  he  rich  ;  is  he  full  ?  it  is  for 
thy  sake.  As  he  was  empty  for  thee,  weak  for  thee, 
poor  for  thee ;  so  for  thee  he  is  mighty,  he  is  rich  and 
full.  While  thou  bewailest  thine  own  poverty  and 
weakness,  0  bless  thyself  in  thy  Lord,  in  his  riches, 
righteousness,  and  strength. 

2.  A  combination  of  interests.  As  the  head  and 
body,  as  the  husband  and  wife,  so  Christ  and  his 
saints  are  mutually  concerned — are  rich  or  poor,  must 
stand  and  fall,  live  and  die  together.  As  the  husband 
conveys  to  the  wife  a  title  to  what  he  hath  ;  as  the 
wife  holds  of  the  husband ;  so  is  it  between  Christ 
and  his  church :  they  have  nothing  but  through  him ; 
their  whole  tenure  is  in  the  Head ;  and  whatsoever  is 
his,  is  theirs.  His  God  is  their  God,  his  Father  is 
their  Father;  his  blood,  his  merits,  his  Spirit,  his  vic- 
tories, all  the  spoils  he  has  gotten,  all  the  revenue  and 
income  of  his  life  and  death,  all  is  theirs.  For  them 
he  obeyed,  suffered,  lived,  died,  rose,  ascended,  is  set 
down  in  glory  at  the  right  hand  of  God.  He  obeyed 
as  their  Head  ;  died  as  their  Head ;  rose,  ascended, 
reigns  as  their  Head ;  and  has  in  their  name  taken 
possession  of  that  inheritance  which  he  purchased  for 
them.  This  is  that  Jesus  who  is  given  to  us,  and 
thus  is  he  granted  and  made  over  to  all  his  saints  in 
this  covenant  of  God. 


42  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

CHAPTER   III. 

THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  COVENANT. 

Gtod  has  put  his  Spirit  into  the  covenant :  the 
Almighty,  the  eternal  Spirit ;  the  Holy  Spirit,  the 
Spirit  of  glory  and  of  God. 

This  holy  and  eternal  Spirit  is  first  poured  forth 
on  our  Head  the  Lord  Jesus,  to  anoint  him  our 
Redeemer,  to  furnish  and  qualify  him  for  that  great 
undertaking.  "  The  Spirit  of  the  Lord  is  upon  me, 
because  the  Lord  hath  anointed  me  to  preach  good 
tidings  unto  the  meek."  Isa.  61 : 1.  "  The  Spirit  of 
the  Lord  shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom 
and  understanding,  and  of  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  Isa. 
11:2. 

And  he  is  promised  to  each  member  of  Christ : 
"  I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you."  Ezek.  36  :  27. 
To  all  these  he  is  granted,  as  a  Spirit  of  wisdom  and 
revelation  ;  as  a  Spirit  of  holiness  and  sanctification  ; 
as  a  Spirit  of  truth  and  direction ;  and  as  a  Spirit  of 
comfort  and  consolation. 

I.  As  a  "  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation."  Eph. 
1  :  17,  18.  To  enlighten  them,  to  open  their  blind 
eyes,  and  to  shine  into  their  hearts ;  to  give  them  the 
knowledge  of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus 
Christ,  that  they  may  know  what  is  the  hope  of  his 
calling,  and  what  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheri- 
tance in  the  saints  ;   to  counterwork  the  spirit  of  this 


THE   SPIRIT  IN  THE  COVENANT.  43 

world,  whose  work  is  to  blind  men's  eyes,  lest  the 
light  of  the  glorious  gospel  should  shine  unto  them. 
2  Cor.  4  :  4-6. 

This  is  he  by  whom  the  Father  hath  called  us 
"out  of  darkness  into  his  marvellous  light."  1  Pet. 
2  :  9.  The  light  that  the  Spirit  brings  in  is  a  marvel- 
lous light,  and  that  in  three  respects : 

1.  It  is  a  marvellous  thing  that  ever  light  should 
come  inlo  such  dark  souls.  That  those  who  were 
born  blind,  and  upon  whom  the  god  of  this  world 
had,  for  many  years  together,  been  trying  his  skill  to 
thicken  their  darkness,  to  increase  and  seal  them  up 
under  it — that  ever  such  eyes  should  be  opened,  and 
the  light  of  life  shine  in  upon  such  hearts,  this  is  a 
marvellous  thing.  When  our  Lord  Jesus  in  the  days 
of  his  flesh  opened  the  eyes  of  those  who  hud  been 
born  blind,  the  people  ran  together  and  wondered  at 
the  sight.  If  you  should  see  stones  live,  if  you  should 
see  dead  stocks  or  dry  bones  walk  up  and  down  the 
streets,  if  you  should  see  trees,  or  houses,  or  moun- 
tains full  of  eyes,  this  were  not  more  full  of  wonder, 
than  to  behold  blind  sinners  receiving  their  sight. 
Thou  wert  once  darkness ;  art  thou  now  light  in  the 
Lord  ?    Stand  and  wonder  at  thy  cure. 

2.  They  are  marvellous  thing's  which  this  light 
discovers.  It  is  a  wonder  that  such  eyes  should  ever 
see  at  all ;  and  lo,  they  see  wonders.  The  gospel  is 
a  mystery  full  of  wonders:  there  are  heights,  and 
depths,  and  lengths,  and  breadths.  "We  have  seen 
strange  things  to-day :"  strange  love,  strange  grace, 
wonderful  wisdom,  wonderful  pity,  patience,  mercy; 


44  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

wonderful  providences,  wonderful  deliverances,  incom- 
prehensible excellences,  unspeakable  joy  and  glory. 
It  is  a  wonder  there  should  be  such  things  every  day 
before  our  eyes,  and  yet  we  could  not  see  them  till 
now ;  and  it  is  a  wonder,  that  when  we  did  not  see 
them  before,  we  should  ever  see  them  now — that  those 
things  which  we  despised,  derided,  mocked  at,  stum- 
bled at,  as  mere  foolishness  and  fancy,  we  should  now 
see  and  admire,  even  to  astonishment — that  that  Jesus 
who  was  to  the  Jews  a  stumbling-block,  to  the  Greeks 
foolishness,  should  be  to  the  same  men  when  called, 
the  wisdom  of  God  and  the  power  of  God.  Oh  the 
deep  things  of  Grod!  Oh  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ,  which  he  that  searcheth  all  things  reveals  unto 
the  saints !  Oh  the  hidden  treasures  they  now  discover 
in  this  deep  mine !  To  you  that  believe,  he  is  precious, 
a  praise,  an  honor ;  all  fair,  all  glorious ;  and  you  have 
seen  his  glory,  as  the  glory  of  the  only  begotten  Son 
of  God,  full  of  grace  and  truth. 

Again,  there  are  marvellous  evils,  as  well  as  good 
things,  which  by  this  light  are  brought  to  light.  Sin, 
with  all  the  hidden  things  of  darkness  that  lie  below 
in  those  chambers  of  death — the  secrets  of  the  evil 
heart  of  man.  Sin  appears  a  wonder  to  the  savingly 
enlightened  soul:  exceeding  sinful,  a  world  of  wicked- 
ness. There  is  death,  and  hell,  and  the  devil  in  every 
sin ;  unkindness,  unthank fulness,  folly,  enmity,  re- 
bellion, spite,  and  the  blackness  of  darkness.  What 
once  appeared  as  a  pleasure,  a  delight,  a  beauty — or 
at  least,  if  an  evil,  yet  but  a  trifle,  a  matter  of  nothing — 
is  become  a  plague,  a  terror,  a  burden,  a  bondage, 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  COVENANT.  45 

bitterness,  shame,  sorrow;  and  such  a  high  provoca- 
tion, that  whereas  once  he  swelled  and  murmured, 
and  cried  out  of  rigor,  severity,  cruelty  in  the  least 
punishment  of  it ;  now  he  wonders  at  the  clemency, 
and  patience,  and  forbearance  of  God,  that  such  an 
affront  and  provocation  had  not  long  since  turned  the 
whole  earth  into  a  hell. 

Christian,  thou  complainest  thou  canst  not  see, 
thou  canst  not  feel,  thou  canst  not  mourn,  thou  canst 
not  break  under  all  the  guilt  that  lies  upon  thee; 
thy  heart  is  hard,  thine  eyes  are  dry ;  not  a  tear,  not 
a  groan,  scarce  a  sigh  will  all  this  evil  fetch  out  from 
thee.  "Oh  this  blind  and  sottish  mind  !  Oh  this  dead 
and  senseless  heart !  what  shall  I  do  ?  what  would  I 
not  do  to  get  me  a  melting,  mourning,  broken  spirit? 
but  I  cannot,  I  cannot;  I  cannot  see,  I  cannot  bleed, 
nor  break."  0  beg  the  light  of  this  Holy  Spirit;  and 
if  the  sight  he  will  present  thee  with,  of  this  wonder- 
ful evil,  do  not  rend  thy  heart,  and  turn  thee,  and 
open  all  thy  sluices,  and  let  out  thy  soul  in  sighs  and 
groans,  in  shame  and  sorrow,  thou  mayest  then  well 
be  a  wonder  to  thyself.  But  be  not  discouraged,  be 
not  dismayed;  do  not  say,  This  rock  will  never  break, 
this  iron  will  never  melt;  I  may  go  sighing  for  sighs, 
mourning  after  tears,  groaning  after  groans,  but  all  in 
vain,  it  will  never  be ;  I  am  past  feeling ;  sorrow  flies 
from  me,  repentance  is  hid  from  mine  eyes.  Do  not 
thus  discourage  thyself;  wait  for  this  Spirit,  open  to 
it  and  thou  shaft  see  flowing  in  such  streams  of  self- 
shaming,  self-confounding  light,  as  shall  flow  forth  in 
self-abasing,  self-abhorring  streams  of  tears. 


46  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

3.  These  marvellous  things  are  revealed  to  them 
with  marvellous  clearness;  that  is,  in  comparison 
with  what  they  are  to  the  purblind  world,  and  in  com- 
parison with  what  they  themselves  once  saw.  They 
come  to  see  the  glory,  and  the  beauty,  and  the  reality 
of  the  wonderful  things  of  (rod.  "We  have  seen  his 
glory,"  saith  the  apostle.  John  1  :  14.  "The  kind- 
ness of  Grod  our  Saviour  appeared;"  "but  we  all,  with 
open  face,  behold  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord." 
2  Cor.  3  :  18.  Out  of  Zion  hath  he  appeared  in  per- 
fect beauty. 

It  is  prophesied  of  the  unbelieving  world,  that 
when  they  should  see  Christ,  they  should  see  no 
beauty  in  him.  Isa.  53  :  2.  Strange !  though  he  is 
all  beauty,  yet  they  should  see  him,  and  yet  see  no 
beauty ;  that  is,  they  shall  see  him,  and  yet  not  see 
him.  "What  is  thy  beloved  more  than  any  other  be- 
loved ?  What  is  Christ  more  than  an  ordinary  man  ? 
What  is  the  gospel  more  than  an  ordinary  story? 
What  is  the  Spirit?  What  is  truth?  What  is  there 
in  this  faith  and  love,  in  this  holiness  and  righteous- 
ness, in  this  peace  of  conscience,  and  joy  of  the  Holy 
Ofhost?  What  substance  is  there  in  them?  Where  is 
the  glory,  and  wherein  is  the  excellency  of  them  ? 
Which  way  came  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  from  me  to 
thee  ?"  Thou  '  shalt  know  in  that  day,  when  thou 
shalt  call  to  the  mountains  to  fall  on  thee,  and  the 
rocks  to  hide  thee  from  the  face  of  Grod  and  the  Lamb. 
We  know  whom  we  have  believed.  We  know  that 
we  know  him.  We  speak  that  which  we  know,  and 
testifv  what  we  have  seen.    We  have  an  unction  from 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE   COVENANT.  47 

the  Holy  One,  we  know  all  things.  God  hath  revealed 
them  to  us  by  his  Spirit;  for  the  Spirit  seareheth  all 
things,  even  the  deep  things  of  God.  Now  we  have 
received  not  the  spirit  of  this  world,  hut  the  Spirit 
which  is  of  God,  that  we  might  know  the  things  that 
are  freely  given  to  us  of  God.  We  have  a  clear  and 
certain  sight.  We  do  not  see  men  as  trees  walking, 
with  our  eyes  half  open:  we  see  men  as  men,  Christ 
as  Christ,  truth  as  truth,  in  its  full  lustre  and  evi- 
dence. This  we  have  seen  and  do  testify,  neither 
deceiving  nor  being  deceived.  We  thank  thee,  0 
l;;i (her,  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth,  that  thou  hast  hid 
these  things  from  the  wise  and  prudent,  and  hast 
revealed  them  unto  babes. 

And  as  they  see  truth  and  holiness  and  goodness 
in  their  wonderful  glory  and  beauty,  so  also  folly  and 
falsehood  and  sin  in  their  wonderful  ugliness  and  de- 
formity. Sin  appears  to  them  to  be  sin,  folly  to  be 
folly,  falsehood  to  be  falsehood  ;  they  see  men  as  men, 
Christ  as  Christ,  truth  as  truth,  holiness  as  holiness  ; 
and  they  see  beasts  as  beasts,  fools  as  fools,  sin  as  sin, 
devils  as  devils,  hell  as  hell.  They  see  all  things  as 
they  are,  temptations  as  they  are,  delusions  as  they 
are  ;  they  see  what  is  under  them,  the  hook  under  the 
bait,  the  sting  in  the  locust's  tail,  the  war  in  the 
devil's  heart  carried  on  under  his  fawning  face ;  they 
are  not  ignorant  of  his  devices. 

Sinners,  cease  your  wondering  at  the  saints,  let 
them  be  no  longer  for  signs  and  for  wonders  in  Israel ; 
cease  your  wondering  at  the  saints,  and  come  and 
wonder  with  them.     Wonder  not  that  they  speak  not 


48  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

as  you,  live  not  as  you,  run  not  with  you  after  the 
same  follies  and  vanities.  Oh,  if  you  once  come  to 
see  what  they  see,  you  will  be  a  wonder  to  yourselves. 
Mock  not  at  their  blessedness :  blessed  are  their  eyes, 
for  they  see.  The  blind  envy,  but  do  not  disdain  the 
seeing.  Say  not,  These  men  are  in  a  dream,  or  drunk, 
or  mad;  take  heed,  blaspheme  not  the  Holy  Spirit, 
call  not  his  light  darkness,  put  not  your  darkness  for 
light.  "Would  you  know,  when  these  men  testify 
what  they  have  seen  and  heard,  whether  they  are  sober 
or  beside  themselves  ?  Come  and  see :  I  say  not, 
stand  and  see ;  you  cannot  see  at  the  distance  you 
stand :  come  near,  come  in,  and  you  shall  see — see 
your  blindness  first,  if  ever  you  will  see  the  light. 
Oh,  bewail  your  darkness  and  seek  light ;  seek,  and 
you  shall  see  it.  "  Son  of  David,  have  mercy  on  me." 
Why,  what  wilt  thou,  man?  "Lord,  that  I  may 
receive  my  sight."  Shall  that  be  thy  cry  ?  0  pity  thy 
blind  soul.  0  pray  for  eyes.  They  that  see,  pity  the 
blind.  0  be  eyes  to  thy  blind,  be  a  light  to  thy  dark 
soul ;  let  them  that  dwell  in  darkness  see  thy  great 
light.  Sinners,  those  whom  you  persecute  do  thus 
pity,  do  thus  pray  for  you:  "Lord,  that  their  eyes 
might  be  opened."  "Will  you  say,  Amen,  to  their 
prayers  ;  or  will  you  say,  Lord,  regard  not  their  word, 
we  desire  not  the  knowledge  of  thy  ways  ? 

Christians,  be  marvels.  You  that  have  seen  mar- 
vellous things,  be  marvellous  persons.  Let  your  light 
shine,  let  the  light  which  hath  shined  into  your  hearts 
shine  forth  in  all  your  paths:  let  the  Spirit  of  light 
within  you,  be  a  Spirit  of  glory  resting  upon  you. 


THE  SPIRIT  IN  THE  COVENANT.  49 

Once  you  were  darkness,  but  now  are  ye  light  in  the 
Lord ;  walk  as  children  of  the  light.  Be  ye  holy, 
harmless,  the  children  of  God,  without  rebuke,  in  the 
midst  of  a  crooked  generation,  among  whom  ye  shine 
as  lights  in  the  world. 

Beclouded  Christian,  thou  goest  on  bemoaning  and 
bewailing  thyself,  complaining  that  thou  art  still  blind ; 
that  the  light  hath  sinned  into  thy  darkness,  but  thy 
darkness  comprehendeth  it  not ;  thine  eye  is  yet  but 
tender,  at  least,  and  thou  canst  see  but  little — but  lit- 
tle of  Christ,  the  sun  is  but  as  a  spark  to  thee — but 
little  of  sin,  that  mountain  looks  yet  but  as  a  molehill; 
it  is  "  neither  clear  nor  dark,"  neither  night  nor  perfect 
day.  Thou  didst  hope  that  long  ere  this  thy  scales 
would  have  fallen  oft',  that  the  veil  would  have  been 
removed,  but  they  abide  upon  thee ;  thou  waitest  for 
light,  but  behold  obscurity — for  brightness,  but  thou 
walkest  in  darkness ;  thou  goest  on,  adding  darkness 
to  darkness,  the  darkness  of  sorrow  to  the  dimness  of 
sight.  Thou  fearest  that  the  gospel  is  hid  from  thee, 
that  it  is  still  night,  because  it  is  not  yet  noon  with 
thee.  But  hearken  :  As  little  as  thou  seest  of  Christ, 
dost  thou  see  so  much  that  thou  prizest  and  lovest  and 
cleavest  to  him  above  all?  As  little  as  thou  seest  of 
sin,  dost  thou  see  so  much  that  thou  loathest  and 
slimmest  it  above  all  things  ?  Dost  thou  walk  in  that 
little  light  thou  hast ;  dost  thou  love,  long,  wait,  cry 
for  the  light  ?  "  Send  forth  thy  light  and  thy  truth, 
lift  up  the  light  of  thy  countenance  ;  Sun  of  righteous- 
ness, shine  upon  me  ;  why  are  the  wheels  of  thy  char- 
iot so  long  in  coming  ?  when,  Lord  ?     Make  haste,  my 

FTravm  Opened.  D 


50  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

"beloved ;  0  might  I  once  see  thy  face,  as  the  sun, 
looking  over  the  mountains."  Is  this  thy  voice ;  are 
these  the  breathings  of  thy  soul  ?  Be  of  good  com- 
fort, these  are  the  glimmerings  and  groanings  of  that 
Holy  Spirit  within  thee,  who  hath  already  delivered 
thee  from  darkness,  and  will  bring  thee  forth  into  his 
marvellous  light ;  thou  shalt  know,  if  thou  follow  on 
to  know  the  Lord.  "Arise,  shine  ;  thy  light  is  come, 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  is  risen  upon  thee."  Though 
yet,  as  to  thy  sense,  it  be  neither  clear  nor  dark,  nei- 
ther night  nor  perfect  day,  "at  evening  time  it  shall 
be  light." 

II.  As  a  Spirit  of  holiness  and  sanctification. 
He  is  given  as  a  holy  Spirit,  and  as  a  sanctifying 
Spirit;  therefore  sanctification  is  called  the  "sanctifi- 
cation of  the  Spirit."  2  Thess.  2 :  13.  He  comes  to 
change  us  into  his  own  nature,  to  make  us  partakers 
of  his  holiness ;  he  is  a  refiner's  fire,  and  fuller's  soap, 
Mai.  3:2,  to  purge  and  work  and  wash  off  the  filth 
and  corruption  of  our  nature.  It  is  said,  he  shall  be 
to  the  church  "a  Spirit  of  judgment  and  a  Spirit  of 
burning,"  to  wash  away  the  filth  of  the  daughters  of 
Zion,  and  to  purge  the  blood  of  Jerusalem  from  the 
midst  thereof.  Isa.  4:4.  "A  Spirit  of  judgment," 
that  is,  in  the  rulers  of  Israel — stirring  them  up  to  do 
justice  and  execute  judgment,  that  so  the  guilt  of 
blood  may  be  taken  away ;  and  "  a  Spirit  of  burning," 
that  is,  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  Israel,  to  con- 
sume and  destroy  the  inward  lusts  of  then  hearts, 
that  no  more  such  wickedness  be  committed  among 
them. 


THE   SPIRIT  IN  THE  COVENANT.  51 

"What  he  is  to  the  church,  this  he  is  to  every  saint, 
a  Spirit  of  judgment,  to  give  sentence  against  their 
lusts,  to  condemn  them  to  the  fire :  these  must  be 
cast  out.  "  To  the  fire  with  them  ;  away  with  them  ; 
get  ye  hence,  ye  sons  of  the  bond-woman ;  ye  may  not 
be  heirs  with  the  sons  of  the  free  woman."  The  Spir- 
it of  the  Lord  first  discovers  and  convinces  of  sin, 
judges  between  light  and  darkness,  grace  and  sin,  and 
then  gives  sentence:  "Away  with  these  lusts,  they 
may  not  be  suffered  to  live."  It  is  a  Spirit  of  burn- 
ing, to  execute  the  sentence,  to  consume  them  in  the 
fire.  The  Spirit  of  sanctification  is  a  Spirit  of  morti- 
fication. "If  ye  through  the  Spirit  do  mortify  the 
deeds  of  the  body,  ye  shall  live."  Rom.  8  :  13.  It  is 
the  Spirit  that  kills  sin,  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing. 

The  Spirit  implants  the  soul  into  Christ,  gives  it 
an  interest  in  his  death,  brings  it  under  the  influence 
of  his  death.  It  is  the  death  of  Christ  that  is  the 
death  of  sin ;  these  thieves  are  crucified  with  him : 
"  Our  old  man  is  crucified  with  Christ,  that  the  body 
of  sin  might  be  destroyed,  that  henceforth  we  should 
no  longer  serve  sin."  Rom.  6 : 6.  Hell  knew  not 
what  they  did  when  they  crucified  Christ ;  death  and 
all  its  armies  were  put  to  death  with  him. 

The  Spirit  raises  up  another  party  in  the  soul,  a 
party  against  a  party,  an  army  against  an  army; 
brings  grace  in  to  take  up  arms  against  sin.  Grace 
doth  not  only  fight  against  sin,  but  is  in  the  very  na- 
ture of  it  the  death  of  sin.  Humility  is  pride  dead; 
meekness  is  sinful  passion  and  frowardness  dead; 
patience  is  impatience  slain. 


52  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

The  Spirit  excites  and  stirs  up  the  soul  against 
sin  ;  sets  it  a  praying  against  it :  the  Spirit  of  grace  is 
a  Spirit  of  supplication,  it  fetches  down  hailstones  and 
thunderbolts  from  heaven  to  destroy  these  Amorites,' 
sets  a  watch  against  sin,  presses  the  soul  to  deal 
wisely  with  it,  to  keep  it  low  by  cutting  off  all  pro- 
vision from  the  flesh,  restraining  and  keeping  it  short 
of  all  those  fleshly  objects  which  would  keep  it  in 
heart,  and  so  it  is  starved  to  death.  It  is  true,  our 
own  greatest  wisdom,  watchfulness,  abstinence,  self- 
denial,  and  all  external  means  alone,  will  fall  short  of 
killing  one  lust ;  it  is  the  Spirit  who  killeth,  without 
him  the  flesh  profiteth  nothing.  All  external  attempts 
for  the  mortification  of  the  flesh,  are  but  a  fleshly  mor- 
tification. But  if  ye,  through  the  Spirit,  do  mortify 
the  flesh,  praying  in  the  Spirit,  watching  in  the  Spirit, 
curbing  and  keeping  under  this  body,  seeking  always 
the  assistance  of  the  Spirit,  then  it  shall  die. 

Christian,  thou  livest  in  a  weary  land,  and  thou 
hast  but  a  weary  life  of  it;  briers  and  thorns  are  with 
thee,  the  Canaanite  is  yet  in  the  land,  thou  sojournest 
in  Meshech,  and  hast  thy  habitation  in  the  tents  of 
Kedar ;  and  thou  hast  a  Meshech  and  Kedar  within 
thee — thou  hast  armies  within  thee  of  fleshly  lusts 
which  fight  against  thy  soul.  Thou  goest  mourning 
daily,  because  of  the  oppressor — those  spiritual  wick- 
ednesses which  lie  in  thy  heart,  and  war  in  thy  mem- 
bers. Thou  often  groanest  and  criest  out  to  thy  God, 
"  Liberty,  liberty  ;  redemption,  redemption.  Oh,  this 
proud  heart !  Oh,  this  vain  heart !  Oh,  this  earth- 
liness !     Oh,   this  fleshliness,  this  slothfulness,  this 


THE   SPIRIT  IN   THE   COVENANT.  53 

enmity  and  rebellion  against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and 
my  God!  When  I  would  do  good,  evil  is  present 
with  me.  I  cannot,  I  cannot  do  the  things  that  I 
would.  I  can  with  no  peace  serve  or  enjoy  my  God 
and  my  soul :  my  duties  are  either  prevented  or  pol- 
luted, my  comforts  are  either  wasted  or  made  quite  to 
vanish  and  disappear.  When  I  would  serve  my  God, 
I  must  away  to  serving  my  appetites,  or  my  pride,  or 
my  friends;  when  my  soul  is  a  little  got  upon  the 
wing,  and  soaring  in  the  upper  region,  it  is  presently 
checked,  pulled  down  again  to  the  earth.  Oh,  my 
pinioned,  imprisoned  soul !  Woe  is  me,  wretched 
man  that  I  am !  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body 
of  tins  death  ?"  Yet  comfort  thy  heart ;  the  enemy 
flies  upon  thee  as  a  flood,  but  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
shall  lift  up  a  standard  against  him.  Thou  com- 
plainest  thy  gold  is  become  dross;  yet  he  will  turn  his 
hand  upon  thee,  and  purely  purge  away  thy  dross, 
and  take  away  all  thy  tin.  Though  these  briers  and 
thorns  be  set  in  battle  against  thee,  yea,  and  against 
him  also,  yet  he  will  go  through  them,  he  will  burn 
them  together.     Isa.  27  : 4. 

Thou  complaincst  that  thy  garments  are  defiled, 
thy  glory  is  stained,  thy  beauty  is  marred,  the  image 
of  thy  God  is  so  defaced  that  there  is  but  here  and 
there  a  spot  of  it  left  upon  thee.  While  thy  Lord 
says,  "  Thou  art  all  fair,  0  my  love,"  thou  criest 
out,  "I  am  all  foul,  0  my  Lord:"  thou  wouldst  be 
holiness  to  thy  Lord,  but  thou  art  an  offence  to  him; 
holiness  is  still  thy  love  and  thy  desire  and  thy  long- 
ing, but  it  flies  from  thee ;  it  is  rather  thy  wish  than 


54  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

thy  hope ;  thou  canst  weep  over,  but  thou  canst  not 
weep  out  thy  deformity ;  thine  iniquity  is  still  marked 
before  the  Lord.  If  there  be  a  little  grace  in  thee, 
yet  there  is  such  a  weakness  in  its  sinews,  such  a 
paleness  in  its  face,  that  it  is  not  like  to  live ;  or  if  it 
live,  0  how  little  hope  that  ever  it  should  thrive  or 
flourish. 

Thus  thou  complainest,  thus  thou  goest  mourn- 
ing and  sighing  and  sinking  and  fainting  in  thy 
mind,  and  now  and  then  venturest  out  a  desponding 
prayer :  "  Lord,  pity ;  Lord,  look  upon  my  sorrow 
and  my  sin;  Lord,  wash  me;  Lord,  help  me."  Why, 
the  Lord  God  hath  sent  thee  his  help  out  of  his  sanc- 
tuary, and  his  strength  out  of  Zion.  The  eternal 
Spirit  is  come  down  on  purpose  to  give  battle  to  the 
flesh,  to  subdue  thine  iniquities,  and  bring  all  those 
that  rise  up  within  thee  under  thy  feet.  Thou  mis- 
takest  thyself  and  thine  enemies,  if  thou  thinkest 
they  will  be  conquered  by  one  blow  of  thine  arm  ; 
tlais  kind  goeth  not  out  so ;  "  not  by  might  nor  by 
power,"  much  less  by  weakness  and  by  flesh,  by  any 
weak  attempts  of  thine  own,  "but  by  my  Spirit, 
saith  the  Lord."  It  is  work  for  a  G-od,  to  relieve 
and  cleanse  such  a  heart,  to  turn  such  a  hell  into 
a  heaven.  What  thou  canst  not  do,  being  weak 
through  the  flesh,  behold,  he  comes  down  to  do  for 
thee ;  thou  hast  proved  thine  own  weakness,  now  try 
everlasting  strength.  He  stands  at  the  door  and 
knocks,  hear  his  voice  at  the  door :  "  Wilt  thou  be 
made  clean  ?  Wilt  thou  be  made  whole  ?  Wilt  thou 
be  delivered  ?"     Open  to  him,  and  with  him  deliver- 


THE   SPIRIT   IN   THE   COVENANT.  55 

ance  comes  in.  He  stands  at  the  pool,  stirring  the 
waters  for  thee ;  put  in  thy  cripple-soul,  and  be 
healed  of  all  thy  diseases;  say  to  him,  "Lord,  if 
thou  wilt  thou  canst  make  me  clean,"  and  thou  shalt 
soon  have  this  answer,  "  I  will ;  be  thou  clean." 

III.  As  a  Spirit  of  truth  and  direction.  John 
16  :  13.  He  shall  guide  them  by  his  counsel,  he  shall 
lead  them  in  the  way  that  they  should  go.  They 
shall  hear  a  word  behind  them,  saying,  This  is  the 
way,  walk  ye  in  it,  when  ye  turn  to  the  right  hand, 
and  when  ye  turn  to  the  left.  Isa.  30  :  21.  He  shall 
lead  them  into  all  truth,  to  prevent  mistakes ;  and 
into  all  righteousness,  to  prevent  miscarriages.  Nay, 
more,  he  shall  not  be  only  their  star,  but  their  strength 
too  ;  he  shall  guide  them  on,  and  help  them  on  ;  they 
shall  be  led  by  the  Spirit,  bound  in  the  Spirit,  pressed 
in  Spirit ;  they  shall  be  excited,  assisted,  carried  on  in 
the  power  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  way  that  they  should 
go  ;  he  will  cause  them  to  walk  in  the  statutes  of  the 
Lord.  Whatsoever  thy  waywardness  and  thy  wan- 
derings have  been,  whatever  thy  feebleness  and  fickle- 
ness be,  whatever  false  lights  and  false  ways  are  be- 
fore thee,  whatever  temptations  thou  meetest  with  to 
turn  thee  aside  out  of  the  right  way,  whatever  doubts 
hence  arise  in  thy  heart,  "  I  shall  one  day  or  other 
perish  from  the  way,  and  be  a  lost  sheep  at  last;"  yet 
his  guidance  shall  be  prosperous,  and  the  event  shall 
be  sure ;  he  shall  so  guide  thee  by  his  counsel,  that 
he  shall  bring  thee  to  glory.  He  shall  gather  his 
lambs  with  his  arm,  and  carry  them  in  his  bosom, 
and  gently  lead  those  that  are  with  young. 


56  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

IV.  As  a  Spirit  of  comfort  and  consolation.  "If 
I  go  not  away,  the  Comforter  will  not  come  unto  you ; 
but  if  I  depart,  I  will  send  him  unto  you."  John 
16  :  7.  He  shall  come  unto  them,  and  abide  with 
them,  to  supply  the  absence  of  their  Redeemer,  to 
support  them  under  their  affliction,  to  witness  their 
adoption,  to  seal  them  up  unto  the  day  of  redemp- 
tion, and  to  be  the  earnest  of  their  inheritance.  Eph. 
1  :  13,  14. 

"He  shall  receive  of  mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto 
you."  John  16  :  14.  "He  shall  receive  of  mine,"  that 
is,  not  only  of  the  truths,  those  treasures  of  wisdom 
that  are  in  me,  though  that  be  specially  intended,  but 
of  my  love,  my  righteousness,  my  holiness,  and  all 
those  treasures  of  grace  and  mercy  that  are  laid  up  in 
me :  whatever  there  is  in  me  that  may  stand  you  in 
any  stead,  yield  you  any  relief  or  support,  the  Com- 
forter whom  I  will  send  you  shall  bring  it  down  to 
you;  he  shall  take  my  blood  and  the  pardons  it 
hath  purchased  for  you,  my  compassions  that  are 
working  in  me  towards  you,  my  prayers  and  inter- 
cessions I  am  offering  up  for  you;  he  shall  take  of  all 
those  treasures  of  grace  and  everlasting  consolations 
which  are  laid  up  for  you  with  me;  he  shall  take  of 
mine,  and  show  it  unto  you.  As  much  as  you  have 
in  the  world  to  afflict  and  amaze  you,  as  little  as  you 
have  of  your  own  to  comfort  you,  either  in  your  hearts 
or  in  your  houses,  or  among  your  friends,  he  shall 
show  what  I  have  for  you  to  refresh  you. 

0  Christians,  a  sight  of  Christ  in  our  sorrows,  in 
our  fears,  in  our  thickest   darkness,  what  daylight 


THE   SPIRIT  IN  THE   COVENANT.  57 

would  it  bring  in !  "When  thou  lookest  into  thy  heart, 
and  art  astonished  and  confounded  at  what  thou  find- 
est  there — at  the  blindness  and  the  hardness,  the  pov- 
erty and  the  emptiness,  the  guilt  and  the  guile,  the 
pride  and  the  peevishness,  the  evil  thoughts,  the  vile 
affections,  the  filthy  lusts,  that  are  swarming  and 
working  in  thee;  when  thou  lookest  into  the  world, 
and  tremblest  at  what  thou  beholdest  there — the 
malice,  the  craft,  the  power,  that  is  engaged  against 
thee ;  the  furious  spirits,  the  fiery  tongues,  the  fierce 
looks,  the  violent  hands,  that  are  flying  upon  thee, 
and  the  little  relief  the  earth  will  afford  thee ;  when 
thy  heart  faints  and  dies  within  thee  at  the  sense  of 
this  thy  woful  and  forlorn  state,  a  sight  of  what  thou 
hast  in  thy  Lord  is  presented  to  thee  by  his  Spirit. 
Look  thou  here,  soul,  what  thy  Jesus  has  sent  thee 
down — a  glance  from  his  eye,  a  drop  from  his  heart, 
food  from  his  table ;  and  all  to  tell  thee,  Yet  do  I  not 
forget  thee ;  behold  the  care  I  take  of  thee,  the  treas- 
ures I  have  for  thee,  to  encourage  thy  love  and  re- 
ward thy  faithfulness.  Oh,  how  will  this  make  aft 
thy  darkness  depart,  and  turn  the  shadow  of  death 
into  the  morning! 

Thus  is  the  Holy  Spirit  given  to  the  saints,  to  be 
the  light  of  their  eyes,  the  death  of  their  sins,  the 
guide  of  their  ways,  the  stay  of  their  hearts ;  to  up- 
hold their  grace,  and  to  maintain  their  peace ;  to  sub- 
due their  enemies  and  their  fears;  to  secure  them 
from  temptations,  or  succor  them  when  tempted ;  to 
wipe  off  their  reproach,  or  make  it  their  crown;  to 
heal  their  diseases,  or  make  them  their  cure ;  to  help 


58  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

their  infirmities,  to  work  their  works,  to  make  their 
yoke  easy  and  their  burdens  light ;  to  turn  their  sighs 
into  songs,  to  form  their  groans  into  prayers,  send 
them  up  to  their  Lord,  and  bring  down  returns;  to 
comfort  their  hearts,  to  establish,  strengthen,  settle 
them,  that  they  be  neither  offended  at  the  rod  nor 
moved  from  the  hope  of  the  gospel. 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.        59 


CHAPTER   IV. 

THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT. 

God  hath  put  the  earth  into  the  covenant.  Though 
the  saints  have  not  their  portion  in  this  life,  yet  this 
world  also  is  theirs :  "  The  meek  shall  inherit  the 
earth."  Matt.  5  :  5.  "Things  present,  and  tilings  to 
come,  all  are  yours."  1  Cor.  3  :  22.  1.  The  good 
things  present.     2.  The  evil  things  present. 

I.  The  good  things  present.  "Houses,  and  breth- 
ren, and  sisters,  and  mothers,  and  children,  and  lands, 
now  in  this  time."  Mark  10  :  30.  "Length  of  days 
are  in  her  right  hand,  and  in  her  left  hand  riches  and 
honor."  Prov.  3  :  16.  "Houses  and  lands,"  you  say, 
"and  riches  and  honors!  where  are  they?  Who  are 
the  poor  of  this  world,  the  houseless,  harborless,  and 
friendless?  Who  have  woe,  and  want,  and  shame, 
and  sorrow  ?  Who  are  strangers  and  pilgrims,  dwell- 
ing in  tents,  driven  into  corners,  into  dens,  and  caves, 
hunted  up  and  down  upon  the  mountains  of  the  earth? 
To  whom  is  hunger  and  thirst,  cold  and  nakedness, 
but  to  the  meek  of  the  earth  ?  Is  this  to  inherit  the 
earth?  All  theirs,  when  nothing  is  theirs?"  Yet  they 
do  inherit  the  earth.     For, 

1.  They  shall  ever  have  as  much  as  will  suffice 
them,  and  that  is  as  much  as  all.  They  shall  not 
want  any  thing  but  what  they  may  well  want : 
"Your  Father  knoweth  that  you  have  need  of  these 


60  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

things;"  and  lie  knows  how  much  you  need.  More 
than  is  needful,  is  more  than  enough;  and  more  than 
enough  is  a  prejudice.  Many  men  have  too  much; 
too  much  money,  too  much  esteem,  too  many  friends; 
more  than  they  can  hear ;  so  much  as  to  sink  them, 
and  drown  them  in  perdition. 

Christians  shall  have  enough ;  they  shall  never  he 
in  such  a  needy  state  hut  whatever  is  necessary  for 
them  in  all  the  earth  they  shall  have.  "  The  earth  is 
the  Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof;"  and  he  has  said, 
that  those  that  seek  him  shall  not  want  any  tiling 
that  is  good.  Psalm  34  :  10.  If  the  whole  world 
can  supply  them  out  of  all  its  store,  they  shall  he 
supplied. 

2.  "What  they  have,  they  have  a  better  and  fur- 
ther title  to,  than  any  others  in  the  world.  What 
they  have  descends  upon  them  not  harely  hy  provi- 
dence, hut  by  promise.  Heh.  1  :  2.  Christ  is  heir  of 
all  things,  and  they  are  fellow-heirs  with  Christ.  A 
little  coming  from  the  promise  has  more  in  it  than  the 
greatest  abundance  that  is  only  handed  down  hy  com- 
mon providence.  That  which  comes  in  from  the 
promise,  comes  in  with  a  blessing :  if  thou  hast  but  a 
handful,  thou  hast  a  blessing  in  thy  hand;  if  thou 
hast  hut  a  corner,  thou  hast  a  blessing  in  thy  corner. 
A  little  from  love  is  a  great  blessing.  Thou  hast  God 
in  every  morsel  thou  eatest,  and  in  every  drop  thou 
drinkest;  a  drop  from  heaven  will  turn  thy  bran  into 
the  finest  flour,  and  thy  water  into  wine. 

0  what  serene  and  quiet  lives,  how  void  of  care, 
distracting  care,  might  the  saints  live  in  the  world ! 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.        bl 

What  are  the  burdens  that  gall  our  backs,  what  the 
briers  that  tear  our  flesh,  what  the  thorus  that  pierce 
our  hearts  ordinarily,  but  the  cares  of  this  life?  What 
shall  I  eat?  what  shall  I  drink?  wherewith  shall 
I  be  clothed  ?  where  shall  I  dwell  ?  how  little  have 
I  for  to-day,  what  for  to-morrow,  what  for  hereafter.' 
how  shall  I  secure  what  I  have?  when  this  is  gone, 
whence  shall  I  be  supplied?  Thus  do  we  go  on 
piercing  ourselves  through  with  many  sorrows.  Our 
cares  for  supply  eat  up  what  we  have ;  our  thoughts 
cut  deeper  than  our  wants ;  we  cannot  at  so  cheap  a 
rate  fear,  as  we  often  actually  bear,  the  want  of  all 
things. 

And  why  take  ye  thought?  "The  earth  is  the 
Lord's,  and  the  fulness  thereof;"  and  he  hath  said, 
"All  this  is  yours;  you  shall  want  nothing."  You 
have  not  only  providence  to  live  upon  ;  you  have  also 
the  promise  before  you,  and  this  hath  all  things  in  it; 
all  is  yours.  "What  have  I  for  to-morrow?  what  for 
hereafter?"  Why,  what  saith  the  promise?  "Thou 
shalt  want  nothing,  neither  thou  nor  thine.  Never 
saw  I  the  righteous  forsaken,  nor  their  seed  begging 
their  bread." 

Hast  thou  two  worlds  made  sure  to  thee,  and  canst 
thou  want  ?  Thou  mayest  as  well  make  a  pitiful  cry 
at  a  full  table,  0  where  shall  I  have  my  next  morsel  ? 
as  under  such  a  full  promise,  0  where  shall  I  have  my 
next  meal  ?  0  how  much  beneath  the  spirit  of  Chris- 
tianity are  the  carking,  anxious  lives  of  too  many 
Christians.  You  do  not  believe,  you  do  not  believe ; 
you  talk  of  your  covenant-right,  of  your  part  in  the 


62  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

promise,  of  living  by  faith ;  but  where  is  any  such 
thing?  Can  you  trust  God  for  your  souls,  and  can 
you  not  trust  him  for  your  bodies,  for  your  children  ? 
Believe,  and  you  will  make  as  much,  and  be  satisfied 
as  well,  with  a  penny  in  the  promise,  with  a  meal  in 
the  promise,  with  a  house  in  the  promise,  as  with  a 
penny  in  your  purse,  or  a  meal  in  your  cupboard. 

"What  dost  thou  get  by  all  thy  anxiety?  "Which 
of  you  by  taking  thought  can  add  one  cubit  to  his 
stature  " — one  farthing  to  his  store  ?  Tears  and  trou- 
ble are  all  it  will  add  to  thee.  Be  quiet,  and  nothing 
will  ail  thee  ;  let  not  any  straits  sting  thee  before  they 
come ;  want  not  before  thou  wantest ;  let  not  the 
winter's  frost  nip  thee  while  it  is  yet  summer. 

Know  when  thou  art  well,  and  be  content.  All 
is  thine ;  if  thou  inheritest  thy  God,  thou  inheritest 
the  earth ;  nothing  of  all  its  store  shall  be  kept  back 
from  thee  that  is  necessary  for  thee ;  only  thou  must 
not  look  to  be  thine  own  carver,  thy  God  will  carve 
out  what  thou  needest.  Let  enough  suffice  thee,  and 
thou  shalt  never  have  too  little.  Thou  shalt  never 
have  so  little,  but  thou  mayest  say,  This  little  is 
enough. 

What  if  that  which  thou  wantest  in  water,  be 
made  up  in  wine ;  if  thou  hast  but  little  in  bran, 
but  the  more  in  flour?  A  short  meal  with  a  smile 
from  heaven  thou  mayest  count  no  fast,  but  a  feast ; 
a  little  oil  in  the  cruse,  how  far  will  it  go  with  a  smile, 
the  blessing  of  the  covenant !  If  the  upper  spring  run 
freely,  thou  mayest  abate  a  nether  spring. 

Let    my   Beloved   comfort  me  with  his  apples, 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       63 

and  stay  me  with  his  flagons ;  and  -let  the  rest  be  as 
little  and  as  coarse  as  it  will.  Let  the  promise  be 
my  portion,  let  the  pipes  be  kept  open  to  my  soul,  and 
then  the  least  pittance  for  this  body  shall  suffice  me. 
0,  my  Lord,  let  me  feed  with  thee,  and  I  will  not 
complain  whatever  my  fare  be.  Let  my  portion  be 
from  thy  table,  and  then  be  it  much  or  little — let  me 
hear  thy  voice,  "I  am  thine,  and  with  me  all  things," 
and  I  am  content  to  be  at  thy  allowance.  Let  thy 
deed  of  gift  stand  sure  to  me,  and  put  in  my  children's 
names  there,  and  I  ask  no  more  for  myself  or  them. 
Hold  thy  peace,  keep  silence,  0  my  anxious  soul; 
know  when  thou  art  well ;  be  in  nothing  careful,  the 
Lord  is  at  hand. 

II.  The  evil  things  of  this  earth  are  theirs.  The 
cross  is  in  the  covenant.  "If  his  children  forsake  my 
law,  and  walk  not  in  my  judgments ;  if  they  break 
my  statutes,  and  keep  not  my  commandments ;  then 
will  I  visit  their  transgression  with  the  rod,  and  their 
iniquity  with  stripes."    Psa.  89  :  30-32. 

The  covenant  hath  its  cross.  The  doctrine  of  the 
gospel  is  the  doctrine  of  the  cross,  the  preaching  of  the 
gospel  is  the  preaching  of  the  cross.  1  Cor.  1.  The 
mysteries  of  a  crucified  Jesus  and  of  his  crucified 
saints  fill  up  the  whole  New  Testament.  The  cross 
is  not  only  imposed  upon  the  saints  as  their  burden, 
but  bequeathed  unto  them  as  a  legacy.  It  is  given 
unto  them  as  an  honor  and  a  privilege.  "Unto  you 
it  is  given  in  the  behalf  of  Christ,  not  only  to  believe 
on  him,  but  also  to  suffer  for  his  sake."  Phil.  1 :  29. 
It  is  joined  with  the  most  glorious  gift,  the  gift  of 


64  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

faith.  Yea,  and  it  is  a  greater  gift  than  this  :  to  suf- 
fer in  faith  is  more  than  barely  to  believe. 

But  by  virtue  of  the  covenant,  the  cross  is  a  bless- 
ing. "Blessed  are  they  which  are  persecuted  for 
righteousness'  sake ;  blessed  are  ye  when  men  shall 
revile  you,  and  persecute  you,  and  shall  say  all  man- 
ner of  evil  against  you  falsely,  for  my  sake."  Matt. 
5  :  10,  11.  "Where  then  is  the  blessedness  ;  or  wherein 
stands  it  ?  It  stands  in  these  things  :  In  the  separa- 
tion of  the  cross  from  the  curse  ;  in  the  sanctification 
of  the  cross  to  its  ends ;  in  the  proportioning  of  the 
cross  to  your  needs  and  strength ;  and  in  the  special 
comforts  of  the  cross. 

1.  The  cross  is  separated  from  the  curse.  There  is 
something  in  this.  To  be  able  to  say  under  the  sorest 
afflictions,  This  scourge  is  no  scorpion ;  this  is  no 
curse,  it  is  but  a  cross.  Our  Lord  bore  both  the  cross 
and  the  curse  together,  and  that  made  his  cup  so  bit- 
ter ;  but  now  he  hath  divided  them :  the  curse  he 
hath  left  upon  sinners,  and  laid  only  the  naked  cross 
on  his  saints.  The  crosses  of  reprobate  sinners  are  all 
curses.  Every  affliction  is  a  curse  ;  there  is  wrath  in 
all  their  sufferings ;  there  is  vengeance  in  every  dart ; 
every  rod  is  a  serpent  to  them.  Thou  who  art  of  the 
number  of  Christ's  implacable  enemies,  when  he  comes 
to  fall  upon  thee  and  to  grind  thee  under  his  hand, 
thou  wouldest  have  a  word  of  comfort  to  be  spoken  to 
thee  in  thy  sorrow :  no,  no,  there  is  no  comfort  can  be 
spoken ;  thou  mayest  say  of  every  dart  he  smites  thee 
with,  This  is  sent  of  Crod  to  avenge  himself  upon  me. 
The  crosses  of  the  impenitent  are  all  curses ;  but  the 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       65 

saints'  curses  are  all  come  to  be  but  crosses.  Though 
men  curse,  the  Lord  will  not  curse ;  whatever  trou- 
bles come  upon  thee,  though  there  be  vinegar  in  them, 
yet  there  is  no  vengeance  in  them ;  though  there  be 
anguish  in  them,  yet  there  is  no  wrath  in  them ; 
though  they  be  ill-looked,  yet  there  is  no  ill-will  in 
them ;  they  come  upon  no  ill  intent,  nor  shall  have 
any  evil  issue.  The  smitings  of  the  wicked  are  to 
thee  as  the  smitings  of  the  righteous  were  to  the 
psalmist,  a  precious  balm.  "Let  the  righteous  smite 
me;  it  shall  be  a  kindness — it  shall  be  an  excellent 
oil,  which  shall  not  break  my  head."  Psalm  141 : 5. 
And  thou  mayest  say,  Let  the  wicked  smite  me  with 
the  tongue,  with  the  fist  of  wickedness,  or  what  they 
will ;  it  shall  not  break  my  head,  much  less  my  heart ; 
it  shall  be  a  kindness  to  me,  an  excellent  oil. 

2.  The  cross  is  sanctified  to  its  ends.  It  has 
many  holy  and  excellent  ends,  and  it  shall  prosper,  it 
shall  accomplish  its  ends.  The  cross  is  laid  on  the 
saints  sometimes  to  prove  them,  sometimes  to  reprove 
them,  to  humble  them,  to  purge  them  ;  and  whatever 
it  is  sent  to  them  for,  it  shall  not  return  in  vain.  As 
the  word,  so  the  rod  shall  accomplish  that  which  he 
pleases  that  sent  it.  By  this  the  iniquity  of  Jacob 
shall  be  purged. 

3.  The  cross  is  proportioned  to  their  needs  and 
strength.  "  I  will  correct  thee  in  measure,  and  will 
not  leave  thee  altogether  unpunished."  Jer.  30  :  11. 
Just  so  much  as  will  serve  shall  suffice ;  the  wise 
physician  has  respect  both  to  the  need  and  to  the 
strength  of  the  patient.    "  I  will  not  contend  for  ever, 


66  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

neither  will  I  be  always  wroth ;  lest  the  spirit  should 
fail  before  me,  and  the  souls  which  I  have  made." 
Isa.  57  :  16.  The  apostle  tells  the  saints  that  they 
have  need  of  patience,  Heb.  10  :  36  ;  and  their  expe- 
rience tells  them  they  have  need  of  something  to  exer- 
cise their  patience.  And  their  needs  are  different: 
some  are  knotty  pieces,  and  need  more ;  others  are 
tender,  and  upon  them  less  will  serve.  The  stubborn 
child  must  have  more  stripes  ;  the  shaking  of  the  rod 
will  do  more  on  some  spirits  than  the  smart  of  it  on 
others,  but  all  need  something.  Let  him  only  that 
is  without  sin  say,  I  have  no  need  of  shame  and  sor- 
row. The  Lord  will  neither  over,  nor  under  do ; 
every  one  shall  have  his  load,  and  no  more — no  more 
than  they  can  bear,  and  no  less  than  their  need  re- 
quires. The  Lord  delights  not  in  his  children's  tears, 
he  doth  not  afflict  willingly,  nor  grieve  the  children  of 
men ;  but  yet  he  would  rather  have  them  cry  than 
perish. 

"Wonder  not,  Christians,  that  your  tender  Lord 
puts  you  to  pain,  and  that  your  pains  are  so  sharp 
and  so  many ;  your  heavenly  Father  knoweth  that 
you  have  need  of  all  these  things.  It  is  a  mercy 
that  he  will  chastise ;  you  may  put  your  corrections 
among  your  mercies.  His  breakings  of  you  are  his 
blessings,  his  woundings  are  your  cures ;  and  by 
your  own,  as  by  your  Lord's  stripes,  you  are  healed. 
And  when  you  shall  review  and  read  over  all  his 
darker  providences,  and  behold  the  wisdom  and  ten- 
derness which  is  mingled  with  his  severities,  evinced 
in  his  laying  on  so  much,  and  yet  no  more  than 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.        67 

was  needful,  you  will  then  acknowledge  with  the 
psalmist,  "  Thou  in  very  faithfulness  hast  afflicted 
me." 

0,  my  Lord,  let  me  not  want  thy  staff  nor  thy 
rod,  neither  a  friend  nor  an  enemy ;  neither  a  calm 
nor  a  storm ;  neither  food  nor  medicine :  if  my  dis- 
ease be  too  strong  for  my  physic,  let  me  have  yet  a 
stronger  potion ;  if  my  wanton  heart  will  not  yet  be 
tamed,  put  on  more  fetters,  a  heavier  load — load  upon 
load,  weight  upon  weight.  Let  me  never  be  sick  of 
my  remedy  till  I  be  cured  of  my  disease.  Let  me 
rather  suffer  by  the  hand  of  a  devil,  than  perish  by 
the  hand  of  a  lust.  Spare  not,  Lord,  cease  not,  Lord, 
to  smite  thy  servant,  till  thou  hast  thereby  smitten 
down  all  mine  enemies.  Peace,  plenty,  ease  !  what, 
that  I  may  have  to  spend  upon  my  lusts ;  to  wax 
wanton  against  my  God?  Such  peace  I  will  not 
have.  Pain,  trouble,  want,  any  thing  rather  than 
peace  upon  such  terms.  Correct  me,  0  Lord,  yet  in 
judgment,  but  not  in  thy  fury,  lest  I  be  consumed 
and  brought  to  nothing. 

4.  The  cross  hath  its  special  comforts.  "  Blessed 
be  God,  even  the  Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  Father  of  mercies,  and  the  God  of  all  comfort ; 
who  comforteth  us  in  all  our  tribulation,  that  we  may 
be  able  to  comfort  them  which  are  in  any  trouble  by 
the  comfort  wherewith  we  ourselves  are  comforted  of 
God.  For  as  the  sufferings  of  Christ  abound  in  us, 
so  our  consolation  also  aboundeth  by  Christ.  And 
whether  we  be  afflicted,  it  is  for  your  consolation  and 
salvation,  winch  is  effectual  in  the  enduring  of  the 


68  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

same  sufferings  which  we  also  suffer ;  or  whether  we 
be  comforted,  it  is  for  your  consolation  and  salvation : 
and  our  hope  of  you  is  steadfast,  knowing  that  as  ye 
are  partakers  of  the  sufferings,  so  shall  ye  he  also  of 
the  consolation."     2  Cor.  1 :  3-7. 

The  comforts  of  the  cross  are  often  the  sweetest 
and  the  fullest  that  the  saints  ever  taste  on  this  side 
the  crown.  The  first  draught  is  often  hitter  ;  the 
green  cross  is  heavy,  and  it  is  necessary  it  should  he 
so.  It  must  be  a  heavy  yoke  that  will  tame  an 
unruly  neck  :  if  it  gall  not,  it  will  not  heal ;  it  is  the 
smart  of  the  rod  that  stills  the  child.  Think  not  your 
burdens  will  lie  easy  when  first  laid  on ;  and  think  it 
not  much  if  they  do  not.  The  first  conflict  with  temp- 
tations may  put  you  to  a  harder  brunt  than  you  are 
aware.  It  must  be  so,  that  it  may  be  for  your  good 
afterwards.  "  Tribulation  worketh  patience  ;"  but 
this  it  cannot  do  unless  it  pains  you.  It  is  observ- 
able that  it  is  not  said  that  the  cross  worketh  patience, 
but  the  tribulation,  the  pinching  of  the  cross,  or  the 
pain  the  cross  puts  us  to ;  this  is  patience,  a  quiet 
bearing  that  pain  which  the  flesh  when  touched  puts 
us  to.  When  we  feel  the  thorns  and  the  nails,  when 
the  iron  enters  into  our  souls,  when  it  pricks  and 
smarts,  then  it  will  work.  The  green  cross  is  heavy, 
a  prison  or  a  wilderness  will  be  appalling  at  the  first ; 
but  when  your  Lord  comes  in  and  visits  you,  then  the 
sweet,  the  pleasure  comes ;  and  the  more  frowns  at 
the  threshold,  the  more  kisses  you  may  expect  after- 
wards. Christ  does  not  always  meet  his  saints  in  the 
porch :  the  devil's  parlor,  the  inner  prison  is  his  ban 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       69 

queting  house,  the  dungeon  his  pavilion ;  there  they 
drink  and  are  satisfied.  The  stocks  and  the  rack  are 
the  organs  that  make  them  the  sweetest  music.  Many 
a  saint  has  been  sadly  disappointed  at  the  first,  hop- 
ing to  meet  with  Christ  at  the  door ;  but  behold,  a 
dreadful  sight — behold,  sin  lieth  at  the  door — all 
his  sins,  all  that  ever  he  did  against  Christ,  all  his 
unthankfulness,  unfaithfulness,  unkindness,  rebellion 
against  his  Lord,  stand  forth  and  stare  him  in  the 
face. 

Christians,  beware  of  sin  now ;  it  will  meet  you 
in  the  day  of  adversity,  the  cross  will  tell  you  all  that 
ever  you  did.  "I  remember  my  faults  this  day:  now 
I  remember  all  my  pleasant  things — my  Sabbaths, 
my  ordinances,  my  liberty,  the  dear  society  I  once 
enjoyed  but  trifled  and  wasted  away.  Oh,  my  pride 
and  my  wantonness,  my  idleness,  my  earthliness,  my 
hypocrisy,  wherefore  arc  you  come  thus  to  affright  and 
torment  me?  Lord,  whither  am  I  come?  0  how 
dreadful  is  this  place !  Is  this  my  prison-entertain- 
ment ?  Arc  these  my  prison-comforts  ?  0  what  a 
hard  lodging  am  I  like  to  have  with  such  companions! 
0  the  wormwood  and  the  gall ;  a  dark  habitation,  a 
bitter  cup  indeed,  is  now  given  unto  me.  Is  this  the 
comfort  of  the  cross  ?  Are  these  the  sweets  so  much 
talked  of?"  Yet  be  not  dismayed,  however  roughly 
thou  art  handled  at  the  door ;  it  is  better  within ;  the 
devil  is  going  out  in  this  storm ;  thy  sins  meet  thee 
now,  but  it  is  only  to  shake  hands  and  part ;  after  this 
agony,  expect  the  angels  to  come  and  minister  to  thee. 
Complain  not.  if  thou  yet  find  no  sweet,  thou  hast 


70  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

not  drank  deep  enough;  in  the  next  room  thou  may 
est  meet  thy  Lord,  and  then  tell  me  if  it  come  short 
of  all  that  hath  been  told  thee. 

But  shall  I  give  you  a  more  particular  view  of 
some  of  the  special  comforts  of  the  cross,  or  our  suf- 
ferings for  Christ  ?  I  shall  only  first  premise  a  word 
to  let  you  understand  what  I  mean  by  the  sufferings  of 
Christ.  We  then  suffer  for  Christ,  when  we  suffer  for 
Christ's  cause ;  when  we  suffer  because  we  will  be 
Christians,  will  be  holy  and  righteous;  when  we  suffer 
because  we  will  not  sin ;  and  when  we  suffer  upon 
Christ's  call,  when  he  cuts  out  a  cross  for  us  and  lays 
it  upon  us.  Then  Christ  calls  us  to  suffering  when  he 
puts  us  to  this  choice,  either  to  suffer  or  to  sin ;  when 
either  our  backs  or  our  consciences  must  suffer ;  when 
we  must  suffer,  or  he  must  suffer  by  us.  "If  any  man 
will  be  my  disciple,  let  him  take  up  his  cross."  Christ 
is  not,  and  Christians  must  not  be  prodigal  of  their 
blood :  their  blood  is  his ;  their  estates,  their  names, 
their  liberties  are  all  his,  and  to  him  they  must  be 
accountable  how  they  part  with  them.  It  is  not  ev- 
ery cross  that  thou  canst  call  "thy"  cross ;  we  must 
not  leave  our  way  to  seek  a  cross :  when  Christ  has 
laid  a  cross  athwart  a  Christian's  way  that  he  should 
go,  and  he  must  either  make  a  stand  or  turn  aside, 
or  submit  his  neck  to  it,  then  he  says,  There  is  thy 
cross  ;  take  it  up,  and  get  thee  gone.  Whatever  cross 
be  before  thee,  if  thou  hast  a  way  open  to  avoid  it 
without  sin,  that  is  none  of  thy  cross ;  thou  mayest 
not  take  it  up,  or  if  thou  dost,  thou  wilt  have  no 
thanks  for  thy  pains. 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       71 

Christians  should  be  wary  here.  Though  it  be  an 
evidence  of  a  gracious  spirit  to  be  always  of  a  ready 
and  forward  mind  to  suffer  for  Christ ;  and  when  he 
demands,  Who  will  go  with  me — who  will  bear  my 
cross  ?  cheerfully  to  answer,  I  will  go,  Lord,  let  me 
bear  it ;  yet  should  we  take  heed  that,  as  we  hang 
not  back  when  he  says  Go,  so  we  run  not  before 
he  send  us.  Though  it  be  a  high  honor  to  suffer  for 
the  gospel,  yet  no  man  taketh  this  honor  upon  him- 
self, but  he  that  is  called  of  Grod.  I  would  not  go  to 
a  prison  without  a  mittimus  from  heaven,  lest,  if  my 
suffering  be  of  myself,  I  be  there  left  to  shift  for  my- 
self. If  Christ  should  meet  me  in  prison  or  in  banish- 
ment, and  demand  of  me,  "What  doest  thou  here, 
Elijah?  friend,  how  earnest  thou  in  hither?"  what 
should  I  say  if  I  could  not  say  this,  Thou,  Lord,  hast 
brought  me  hither ;  my  conscience,  my  duty  hath 
brought  me  here  ? 

But  understand  me  here  with  this  caution  :  that 
when  the  cause  for  the  main  is  Christ's,  though  the 
call  seems  doubtful,  yet  when  the  sufferer  hath  care- 
fully inquired  the  mind  of  God,  truly  follows  the  dic- 
tates of  an  enlightened  conscience,  and  sincerely  de- 
signs the  honor  of  Christ  and  his  gospel,  although  he 
should  err  in  some  circumstances  of  his  case,  and  for 
fear  of  iniquity  should  choose  affliction  when  possibly 
he  might  have  avoided  both,  God  will  surely  own  his 
sufferings,  and  accept  his  readiness  of  mind. 

Yet  still  take  heed  of  careless  or  wilful  errors ; 
take  heed  of  preparing  nails  for  thine  own  cross,  thorns, 
scourges,  spears  for  thine  own  head  or  heart.     Take 


72  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

heed  both  how  thou  shunnest,  and  how  thou  espousest 
a  suffering  state.  Go  not  into  it  upon  heedless  mis- 
takes ;  go  not  into  it  for  good  company,  much  less 
upon  any  carnal  designs ;  let  not  thy  pride  or  osten- 
tation, or  the  bias  of  any  fleshly  considerations,  lead 
thee  into  the  house  of  correction,  lest  thou  find  them 
the  rods  to  lash  thee  when  thou  art  there. 

Christians,  consider  if  there  be  not  sometimes  some 
uncomfortable  miscarriages  in  this  matter ;  and  wheth- 
er it  has  not  been  the  lot  of  some  of  Christ's — with  how 
much  justice  or  charity  let  the  Lord  be  judge — to  be 
censured  and  reproached  as  unfaithful  or  as  fearful, 
on  no  other  account  but  for  walking  by  this  rule :  not 
to  go  to  prison  without  a  warrant,  that  is,  not  to  cast 
themselves  into  a  suffering  state,  while  Grod  hath  left 
a  way  open  to  escape  without  sin.  I  confess,  the 
more  dangerous  and  the  more  ordinary  error  is  on  the 
other  hand  :  we  are  more  apt — especially  when  afflic- 
tions are  more  sharp,  and  bite  in  earnest,  and  then 
will  be  the  great  trial — rather  sinfully  to  shift  our- 
selves of  them,  than  unwarrantably  to  run  ourselves 
upon  them ;  but  yet  let  it  be  considered  whether  there 
be  not  an  error  on  this  hand  also. 

It  is  true,  where  the  cause  is  the  same  as  to  the 
main,  different  circumstances  may  make  that  to  be 
one  man's  sin,  which  is  another  man's  duty;  yea,  that 
may  be  a  duty  to  the  same  man  at  one  time,  which, 
supposing  him  in  different  circumstances,  might  have 
been  his  sin  at  another.  And  it  is  not  seldom,  through 
the  unavoidable  difference  of  our  apprehensions,  and 
the  difficulty  of  discerning  our  cases,  that  Christians 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       73 

equally  careful  to  know  and  do  the  will  of  Grod,  when 
the  case  and  the  circumstances  also  are  mostly  the 
same,  do  judge  differently  about  their  call  to  suffer- 
ing. Here  let  no  man  be  so  tyrannical  to  others,  as 
to  expect  that  they  should  go  cross  to  their  own,  to 
comply  with  their  brethren's  judgments  and  con- 
sciences. Let  us  not  put  one  another  on  this  unmer- 
ciful necessity,  either  to  break  our  peace  with  God  or 
our  friends.  Let  it  be  sufficient  to  us  faithfully  to 
follow  our  own  light,  without  judging  or  quarrelling 
with  those  who  are  otherwise  minded.  Beware  of 
bitterness.  Be  not  cruel  to  consciences ;  smite  not 
with  the  tongue,  nor  let  an  evil  thought  arise  in  thy 
heart,  upon  any  such  account  as  this.  Thine  arrows 
will  recoil  and  fly  back  in  thine  own  face.  Blemish 
not  thine  own  sufferings  by  blasting  thy  brother's  lib- 
erty. Let  not  the  wariness  of  some  be  condemned 
for  cowardice,  nor  the  forwardness  of  others  for  pride 
or  hypocrisy ;  but  let  us  be  clothed  with  humility,  let 
us  put  on  a  spirit  of  self-suspicion,  and  of  charity  to 
our  brethren;  and  let  tins  Christian  frame  be  the 
more  studiously  maintained,  the  more  our  practices, 
differing  according  to  the  variety  of  our  apprehen- 
sions, seem  to  condemn  each  other  and  so  provoke  to 
uncomfortable  schisms  and  contentions,  and  the  more 
pernicious  such  schisms  are  likely  to  prove  in  the 
issue. 

These  things  premised,  I  shall  now  show  you  what 
the  special  comforts  of  the  cross  are.  You  may  expect 
your  suffering  state  to  be  sweetened  with, 

1.  A  more  plentiful  diffusion  of  special  grace. 

Heaven  Opened.  \ 


74  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Grace  is  a  comfort ;  it  is  never  tetter  with  the  saints 
than  when  that  flourishes.  The  joy  of  the  harvest  is 
nothing  to  the  joy  of  grace  ;  he  is  not  a  Christian  that 
cannot  say,  "It  is  summer,"  when  these  flowers  ap- 
pear in  their  beauty.  Flourishing  faith  and  love  have 
their  glorious  joys.  1  Pet.  1  :  8.  The  springs  of  grace 
are  a  resurrection  from  the  dead ;  and  there  is  no  such 
spring  as  after  a  shower.  Oh,  how  green  do  the  herbs 
then  look.  The  withering  flowers  do  then  lift  up  the 
head.  Never  so  many  stars  appear,  nor  with  such 
lustre,  as  in  a  frosty  night.  Grind  the  spices,  and 
their  fragrancy  flows  out.  Saints  are  never  more 
saints  than  in  the  house  of  bondage,  or  the  land  of 
their  pilgrimage ;  our  winter  weather  makes  us  warm 
at  heart.  As  our  outward  man  perishes,  our  inward 
man  is  renewed  day  by  day.  2  Cor.  4 :  16.  Perse- 
cution is  the  time  of  life.  "We  are  delivered  to  death 
for  Jesus'  sake,  that  the  life  also  of  Jesus  might  be 
manifest  in  our  mortal  flesh.  2  Cor.  4 :  11.  Decayed 
soul,  comfort  thy  heart,  the  cross  is  coming ;  now  thou 
shalt  live,  now  thou  shalt  recover.  This  weakness  will 
strengthen  the  things  that  remain  and  are  ready  to 
die.  Now,  faith  and  love  and  patience  and  courage, 
that  have  so  long  hung  the  wing,  lift  up  the  head, 
the  day  of  your  redemption  draweth  nigh ;  this  night 
is  your  day  of  hope. 

2.  The  cross  will  also  bring  a  more  clear  revela- 
tion of  special  love.  Lovest  thou  me,  Lord  ?  If  so, 
it  is  enough.  Let  me  hear  thy  voice,  let  me  see  thy 
face.  Kiss  me  with  the  kisses  of  thy  mouth.  Thy 
loving-kindness  is  better  than  life ;    send  forth  thy 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       75 

light  and  thy  truth,  let  these  tell  me  thou  lovest  me. 
Thy  poor  spouse  is  sick  for  love  ;  0  when  wilt  thou 
say,  "  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee  '?"  Why,  come 
up  with  me  on  the  cross ;  that  withered  tree  bears 
more  blossoms  of  love,  than  all  the  green  trees  of  the 
field.  The  whole  gospel  is  hung  upon  the  cross. 
Where  our  Lord  hung,  there  is  sin  nailed,  the  curse 
vacated,  death  vanquished ;  pardon,  peace,  joy,  glory, 
showed  forth  in  open  sight.  There  is  love  with  all  its 
tokens ;  go  up  and  take.  Fear  not  to  be  baptized  with 
thy  Lord's  baptism,  nor  to  drink  of  his  cup ;  this  cup 
also  is  the  communion  of  the  blood  of  Christ.  Come 
with  me  into  the  wilderness,  there  will  I  speak  com- 
fortably to  thee.  When  thou  most  wantest  it,  where 
thou  wilt  most  value  it,  there  will  I  show  thee  my 
love. 

Our  Lord  loves  not  to  have  love  slighted :  the  full 
soul  loathes  the  honeycomb  ;  thou  hast  yet  too  many 
lovers  to  bid  thy  Lord  welcome :  he  keeps  his  best 
wine  till  all  thine  own  be  soured ;  then  it  will  relish, 
and  then  thou  shalt  have  it.  His  oil  is  for  thy  wounds. 
The  child  never  knows  so  much  of  the  parent's  heart 
and  compassion  as  when  it  is  sick  or  in  distress;  then 
every  look  is  love,  every  word  is  pity  and  compassion. 
0  the  compassion  of  Christ's  heart  towards  his  afflicted 
children !  When  thou  knowest  hatred,  then  look  to 
know  love  ;  when  thou  art  persecuted,  when  thou  art 
cast  out  and  trodden  under  foot  of  men,  then  will  he 
take  thee  in  and  cherish  thee. 

3.  Thou  shalt  have  also  a  more  full  manifestation 
of  glory.     There  is  not  a  prison  into  which  the  saints 


76  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

are  cast,  but  hath  a  window  in  the  palace.  Calvary 
becomes  a  Tabor,  where  they  have  a  sight  of  their 
Lord  in  his  glory.  Golgotha  becomes  a  Pisgah,  where 
they  may  look  over  Jordan  into  the  land  of  promise. 
Hast  thou  known  little  of  heaven  ?  thou  hast  not  yet 
been  in  the  deep. 

Of  Stephen  the  first  gospel-martyr  it  is  said, 
"  He  looked  up  steadfastly  into  heaven,  and  saw  the 
glory  of  God,  and  Jesus  standing  on  the  right  hand  of 
God."  Acts  7:55.  "And  all  that  sat  in  the  coun- 
cil saw  his  face  as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  angel." 
Acts  6:15.  Such  an  admirable  splendor  and  serenity 
shone  in  his  countenance,  as  spoke  him  rather  an  angel 
than  a  man.  Oh,  what  a  heaven  was  there  within, 
that  cast  out  such  a  divine  lustre  on  his  face!  his  joy 
was  too  big  for  his  heart,  his  face  must  have  its  share ; 
yea,  his  very  adversaries,  at  second-hand,  behold  the 
glory  of  God. 

He  looked  up  and  saw  heaven  opened.  Looking 
down,  he  might  see  hell  opened,  all  his  tormentors 
about  him,  the  jaws  of  death  ready  to  devour  and 
swallow  him  up ;  but  looking  up,  he  saw  heaven 
opened,  and  Jesus  standing  at  the  right  hand  of  God. 
"  Oh,  there  he  is,  for  whose  sake  is  all  this.  My  Be- 
loved, my  Beloved  is  yonder.  Behold  the  region  of 
light,  whither  this  dark  tempest  is  wafting  me."  His 
hell  and  his  heaven  meet,  but  the  light  swallows  up 
the  dark.  Hell  ceases  to  be  hell,  where  heaven  ap- 
pears to  be  heaven.  This  is  the  portion  of  suffering 
saints.  When  you  read  what  is  written  of  those 
armies  of  martyrs  that  have  gone  before^-of  their 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       77 

unspeakable  joys,  their  undaunted  courage,  their  ad- 
mirable boldness  ;  of  their  cheering  their  friends,  con- 
founding their  foes,  their  rejoicing  in  their  stripes, 
singing  in  their  stocks,  leaping  in  their  chains,  boast- 
ing of  their  bonds,  kissing  their  stakes,  embracing  the 
flames,  riding  up  in  triumph  in  their  chariots  of  fire, 
not  repenting  of  their  faith,  nor  accepting  of  deliver- 
ance— what  doth  this  speak,  but  that  their  eyes,  as 
well  as  their  anchor,  are  within  the  veil,  whither 
Christ  their  forerunner  is  gone  before  them  ?  Oh, 
who  would  not  be  with  them  ?  Who  would  fear  suf- 
ferings ? 

Soul,  what  art  thou  afraid  of?  Whither  art  thou 
running;  from  what  art  thou  hiding  thyself  ?  What  is 
thine  ease,  or  thy  liberty,  or  thy  quiet  ?  Why  so  loath 
to  loose  from  this  shore  ?  Launch  forth  into  the  deep. 
Fear  not  transportation  into  thy  house  of  bondage  ; 
when  thou  art  once  there,  it  is  but  look  up  and  thou 
art  in  Paradise. 

Such  are  the  sufferings  of  Christ,  this  is  the  cross 
of  the  covenant.     But  it  includes  also, 

4.  That  which  comprehends  all  the  rest,  a  more 
manifest  exhibition  of  Christ's  special  presence :  "I 
am  with  thee  to  save  thee."  Jer.  30  :  11.  "  When 
thou  passest  through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee ; 
and  through  the  rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee : 
when  thou  walkest  through  the  fire,  thou  shalt  not  be 
burnt,  neither  shall  the  flame  kindle  upon  thee."  Isa. 
43  : 2.  Through  fire  and  water  thou  must  go—"  we 
went  through  fire  and  water  into  a  wealthy  place" — 
but  wherever  thou  goest,  he  will  go  with  thee.   When 


78  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  bush  was  on  fire,  the  Lord  was  in  the  bush;  when 
the  three  children  were  in  the  furnace,  the  Son  of  Grod 
was  there  with  them.  ' '  In  all  their  afflictions  he  was 
afflicted,  and  the  angel  of  his  presence  saved  them:  in 
his  love  and  in  his  pity  he  redeemed  them ;  and  he 
bare  them,  and  carried  them  all  the  days  of  old."  Isa. 
63 : 9.  Though  all  men  forsook  me,  the  Lord  stood 
with  me  and  strengthened  me.  2  Timothy,  4  :  16,  17. 
The  saints  shall  never  have  this  to  charge  upon  the 
Lord,  "  I  was  in  prison,  and  thou  visitedst  me  not." 

He  is  ever  with  them,  to  bear  their  burdens  and 
ease  their  shoulders ;  to  plead  their  cause  and  main- 
tain their  innocence ;  to  wash  their  stripes,  to  wipe 
off  their  tears,  to  heal  their  wounds,  to  bind  up  their 
broken  bones,  to  revive  their  weary  spirits,  to  per- 
fume their  prisons,  to  lighten  their  dungeons,  to  lead 
them  in  their  wanderings,  to  converse  with  them  in 
their  solitudes ;  to  give  down  from  above,  in  divine 
smiles  and  spiritual  joys,  assurances  of  dearest  love, 
tenderest  care,  melting  sympathy,  gracious  accept- 
ance; to  give  down  from  above  whatever  is  wanting 
beneath :  in  fine,  to  preserve  them  from  falling  by 
the  presence  of  his  grace,  till  he  present  them  fault- 
less before  the  presence  of  his  glory.  Oh,  it  is  good 
being  with  Christ  anywhere. 

"  Tell  me,  0  thou  whom  my  soul  loveth,  where 
thou  feedest  and  makest  thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon." 
"  Where  thou  feedest?"  yea,  where  thou  art,  whether 
feeding  or  fasting,  whether  rejoicing  or  mourning. 
"  Where  thou  makest  thy  flock  to  rest  at  noon?" 
yea,  and  where  thou  sufferest  thy  flocks  to  be  scat- 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       79 

tered  in  the  night.  "Where  thy  flocks  are,  thou  art 
not  far  away;  tell  me  where  thou  feedest,  tell  me 
where  thou  art.  My  Beloved  that  feedeth  among  the 
lilies,  feedeth  sometimes  among  the  thorns.  When 
his  love  is  a  lily  among  thorns,  there  he  feedeth.  He 
feedeth  among  thorns  ;  he  feedeth  with  his  sheep,  he 
feedeth  with  his  lambs  wherever  they  feed;  when 
darkness  and  desolation  and  devils  and  death  feed 
upon  them,  even  then  he  feedeth  them,  and  takes  his 
feeding  with  them. 

Oh,  wherever  my  Lord  is,  there  let  my  lot  fall. 
Let  me  dwell  among  the  thorns,  if  so  my  dwelling 
be  with  my  Lord  among  the  lilies.  Let  me  wander 
among  the  mountains  while  he  is  with  me  telling 
all  my  wanderings.  Let  me  be  scourged,  so  he  will 
wash  my  stripes  ;  let  me  weep,  so  he  will  wipe  off  my 
tears :  I  would  not  fear  wounds  while  I  have  such  oil 
to  pour  in.  Come,  all  ye  thieves  and  robbers,  I  fear 
you  not,  my  dear  Samaritan  comes  by ;  come,  ye  bulls 
of  Bashan,  ye  boars  of  the  forest,  let  my  Beloved  kiss 
me  with  the  kisses  of  his  mouth,  and  I  regard  it  not 
though  you  kick  me  with  the  heel.  0  my  Lord,  bring 
me  where  thou  feedest,  let  me  live  hi  thy  face,  let  me 
feel  thy  smiles  upon  my  heart,  let  me  love  thee,  tell 
me  thou  lovest  me,  rememberest,  pitiest,  acceptest, 
takest  care  for  me,  and  then  choose  my  condition,  my 
dwelling,  and  entertainment  for  me. 

Fainting  Christian,  lift  up  thine  eyes,  comfort  thy 
heart ;  here  is  that  thou  fearest  and  tormentest  thyself 
w  ith.  Here  is  the  inside  of  that  formidable  cross,  the 
light  side  of  those  dark  clouds,  the  sunny  side  of  that 


80  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

shady  thorn  hedge  that  so  wounds  and  afflicts  thy 
heart.  Fear  not,  be  strong  and  of  a  good  courage. 
Thou  still  sayest,  ""Woe  is  me,  I  can  find  no  such 
thing.  Ah,  Lord  God,  doth  he  not  speak  parables  ? 
0  that  I  were  assured  it  might  be  thus  with  me." 
"Why,  art  thou  not  in  covenant  ?  Believe,  and  all  is 
thine.  I  believe,  and  therefore  have  I  spoken ;  be- 
lieve, and  thou  shalt  see  the  salvation  of  God  ;  as 
sure  as  the  cross  is  thine,  all  the  comforts  of  the  cross 
are  settled  upon  thee.  Read  over  all  the  gracious 
words  thou  hast  before  thine  eyes ;  review  all  the 
instances  of  suffering  saints  that  have  gone  before 
thee,  to  whom  these  good  words  have  been  made 
good,  in  conspicuous  increases  of  divine  grace,  in  the 
signal  discoveries  of  divine  love,  in  the  clearest  and 
fullest  revelation  of  divine  glory,  in  the  intimate  sense 
of  the  divine  presence,  quickening,  enlarging,  encour- 
aging, supporting  their  spirits  in  the  darkest  dens,  in 
the  sharpest  conflict  with  reproaches,  mockings,  bonds, 
banishments,  torments,  and  deaths ;  and  know  that 
all  these  things  are  written  for  thy  learning,  that  thou 
through  patience  and  comfort  of  the  Scriptures  may- 
est  have  hope. 

Read  over  Isaiah  fifty-first :  "  Hearken  to  me,  ye 
that  follow  after  righteousness,  ye  that  seek  the  Lord  ; 
look  unto  the  rock  whence  ye  are  hewn,  and  to  the 
hole  of  the  pit  whence  ye  are  digged."  "  For  the 
Lord  shall  comfort  Zion ;  he  will  comfort  all  her  waste 
places ;  he  will  make  her  wilderness  like  Eden,  and 
her  desert  like  the  garden  of  the  Lord ;  joy  and  glad- 
ness shall  be    found  therein,  thanksgiving  and  the 


THE  EARTH  IN  THE  COVENANT.       81 

voice  of  melody."  "  Lift  up  your  eyes  to  the  heav- 
ens," etc.  "  Hearken  unto  me,  ye  that  know  right- 
eousness, the  people  in  whose  heart  is  my  law;  fear 
ye  not  the  reproach  of  men,  neither  be  ye  afraid  of 
their  revilings :  for  the  moth  shall  eat  them  up  like  a 
garment,  and  the  worm  shall  eat  them  like  wool ;  but 
my  righteousness  shall  be  for  ever,  and  my  salvation 
from  generation  to  generation."  "  I,  even  I,  am  he 
that  comforteth  you :  who  art  thou,  that  thou  shouldest 
be  afraid  of  a  man  that  shall  die,  and  of  the  son  of  man 
which  shall  be  made  as  grass  ;  and  forgettest  the  Lord 
thy  Maker,  that  hath  stretched  forth  the  heavens,  and 
laid  the  foundations  of  the  earth;  and  hast  feared  con- 
tinually every  day  because  of  the  fury  of  the  oppressor, 
as  if  he  were  ready  to  destroy  ?  And  where  is  the  fury 
of  the  oppressor  ?"  "  Where  is  the  fury  of  the  oppres- 
sor ?"  say  est  thou ;  "where  is  it  not,  rather  ?  Is  it  not 
in  the  house,  and  in  the  field  ?  Is  it  not  in  the  city 
and  in  the  villages  ?  Is  it  not  upon  my  cattle,  upon 
my  purse,  upon  my  body,  upon  my  children,  upon  my 
friends  ?  Where  is  not  the  fury  of  the  oppressor  ?" 
But  when  thou  rememberest  the  Lord  thy  Maker, 
the  oath,  the  promise,  and  covenant  of  God,  the  pres- 
ence, protection,  and  comfort  of  thy  God — when  thou 
rememberest  this,  then,  "  Where  is  the  fury  of  the 
oppressor  ?" 


82  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER   V. 

THE  ANGELS  OF  LIGHT —THE  POWERS  OF  DARK- 
NESS—DEATH—THE KINGDOM  OF  HEAVEN  — IN 
THE  COVENANT. 

I.  The  angels  of  light  are  in  the  covenant.  "  Are 
they  not  all  ministering  spirits,  sent  forth  to  minister 
for  them  who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation  ?"  Hebrews 
1 :  14.  While  our  Lord  himself  was  sent  down  to 
minister,  behold  his  servants  are  to  be  ministered 
unto;  the  angels  are  made  their  ministers :  "He  shall 
give  his  angels  charge  over  thee,  to  keep  thee  in  all 
thy  ways."  Psa.  91:11.  They  have  received  a  charge, 
and  they  have  great  advantages  for  keeping  the  charge 
of  the  Lord. 

1.  They  are  mighty.  "Bless  the  Lord,  ye  his 
angels  that  excel  in  strength."  Psalm  103  :  20.  An 
angel  is  more  than  an  army;  what  slaughters  have 
the  angels  made  in  the  armies  of  the  aliens !  A  hun- 
dred fourscore  and  five  thousand  Assyrians  are  slain 
by  one  angel  of  the  Lord,  when  encamped  against 
Judah.  Isa.  37  :  36.  It  is  hard  service  indeed  that  is 
too  hard  for  an  angel. 

2.  They  are  numerous.  There  are  great  multi- 
tudes of  them.  "  Thousands  of  angels."  Psa.  67 :  17. 
"A  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host."     Luke  2  :  13. 


THE  ANGELS  IN  THE  COVENANT.       S3 

An  angel  is  more  than  an  army;  but  what  then  an; 
an  army  of  angels  ? 

3.  They  are  faithful.  They  can  do  much  for  the 
saints,  but  will  they  do  it  ?  Yes,  they  are  faithful ; 
they  do  the  commandments  of  God.  Psalm  103  :  'JO. 
God  bids  them  keep,  and  they  are  faithful,  and  will 
keep,  his  sheep:  we  are  taught  to  pray  that  "the 
will  of  God  may  be  done  on  earth,  as  it  is  in  heaven ;" 
that  men  may  be  faithful  as  the  angels  of  God. 

4.  They  are  favorites;  they  behold  the  face  of 
God,  they  dwell  in  his  presence,  they  are  admitted  u> 
stand  before  his  throne,  they  ran  be  heard  :  they  have 
favor  in  heaven,  and  therefore  have  they  such  power 
on  earth.  "  Take  heed  that  ye  despise  not  one  of  these 
little  ones;  for  I  say  unto  you,  that  in  heaven  their 
angels  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which 
is  in  heaven."  Matt.  18  :  10.  Touch  not  mine  anoint- 
ed, let  alone  my  little  ones,  take  heed  how  you  offend 
them ;  their  angels  are  before  my  Father,  and  are 
mighty  with  him,  to  engage  his  power  for  their  aid 
and  deliverance. 

0  the  great  security  of  the  least  of  saints  !  These 
mighty  ones,  these  multitudes,  these  faithful  ones, 
these  favorites  of  heaven,  the  holy  angels  of  God,  have 
all  received  a  charge  from  the  Lord,  to  preserve  and 
defend  them:  "'Lord,  open  his  eyes,  that  he  may 
see;'  and  behold,  the  mountain  was  full  of  horses 
and  chariots  of  fire  round  about  Elisha."  2  Kings, 
6  :  17. 

Should  a  mighty  prince  commit  any  subject  of  his 
to  a  potent  and  faithful  life-guard,  with  this  charge : 


84  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

"Look  to  this  man,  keep  him  in  safety,  see  that  he 
come  to  no  harm;  whoever  offends,  do  you  defend 
him  ;  wherever  he  goes,  go  you  with  him  ;  wherever 
he  lodges,  stand,  you  as  a  guard  ahout  the  house ; 
while  he  sleeps,  do  you  watch ;  see  that  he  want  for 
nothing,  let  no  hurt  come  to  him :"  if  this  were  thy 
case,  in  what  great  security  would st  thou  count  thyself. 
But  0,  what  is  a  life-guard  of  men  to  a  guard  of 
mighty  angels?  "Fear  not,  little  flock;"  in  heaven 
your  angels  behold  the  face  of  God,  and  in  earth  they 
have  pitched  their  tents  round  about  you. 

II.  The  powers  of  darkness  are  delivered  over  in 
the  covenant :  Satan  and  all  his  instruments.  We 
are  naturally  in  bondage  to  Satan,  held  "captive  by 
him  at  his  will,"  2  Timothy,  2  :  26 ;  his  prisoners,  his 
slaves,  his  vassals.  By  the  blood  of  the  covenant,  the 
Lord  hath  brought  forth  his  prisoners  and  redeemed 
his  captives,  Zech.  9:11,  and  also  hath  spoiled  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  and  led  captivity  captive.  In 
this  covenant  there  is  deliverance  of  the  prisoners,  and 
a  delivery  over  of  them  by  whom  they  were  held — 
a  jail- delivery,  and  a  delivery  of  the  jailers  into  their 
hands ;  and  they  are  delivered  over  bound,  the  god  of 
this  world  in  chains,  limited,  spoiled,  banished,  and 
cast  out.  "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against 
it."  Matt.  16  :  18.  The  gates  of  cities  were  anciently 
their  special  strength,  and  in  them  were  their  great 
councils  held  for  the  contriving  and  managing  of  all 
their  concerns.  By  "hell,"  understand  all  that  belong 
to  that  dark  region,  Satan  and  all  his  instruments, 


THE  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS.  85 

the  dragon  with  his  armies,  the  serpent  and  all  his 
seed.  By  "the  gates  of  hell,"  understand  the  power 
and  policy,  the  combination  and  counsels  of  Satan  and 
his  whole  party.  These  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail 
against  it,  that  is,  against  the  church ;  neither  against 
the  Head  nor  any  member  of  it :  they  "shall  not  pre- 
vail;" that  involves  two  things. 

1.  They  shall  fight  against  it;  they  are  all  com- 
bined and  listed  against  the  church,  making  a  war 
upon  it.  "  Raze  it,  raze  it,  even  to  the  foundation 
thereof.  Down  with  it,  root  and  branch ;  let  it  not  have 
a  being,  let  it  not  have  so  much  as  a  name  under  heav- 
en." Particular  quarrels  there  may  be  between  devil 
and  devil ;  Herod  against  Pilate,  and  Pilate  against 
Herod ;  yet  the  tails  of  these  smoking  firebrands  are 
united  against  the  Lord  and  his  anointed  ones — against 
their  profession,  against  their  religion,  against  the  soul 
of  every  saint.  Whatever  veils  or  specious  pretences 
they  varnish  their  quarrel  with,  this  it  is  that  lies  at 
the  bottom  of  all  their  counsels  and  machinations;  in 
this  all  their  aims  are  concentrated — to  root  out  god- 
liness, and  the  professors  of  it,  from  the  earth ;  to  de- 
ceive and  destroy  souls  for  ever. 

2.  Though  they  shall  fight  against  the  church,  yet 
they  shall  not  overcome.  They  shall  not  prevail 
against  it ;  that  is,  not  finally:  in  the  end  the  victory 
shall  be  the  saints'.  Jerusalem  shall  be  "a  burden- 
some stone  for  all  people,"  Zech.  12  :  3  ;  such  a  stone 
that  they  shall  not  be  able  to  lift,  or  move  it  out  of 
its  place ;  it  shall  stand  as  a  rock,  against  wbich  the 
impetuous  waves  may  dash  themselves,  but  they  can- 


86  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

not  move  it.  Neither  shall  they  be  able  to  bear  it.  It 
shall  crush  those  who  burden  themselves  with  it.  Those 
who  shake  the  church  are  pulling  a  house  about  their 
ears,  a  rock  upon  their  loins ;  it  shall  break  the  backs 
of  all  those  who  contend  against  it ;  they  shall  be  cut 
in  pieces  that  burden  themselves  with  it,  though  all 
the  earth,  yea,  and  hell  too,  be  gathered  together 
against  it.  It  is  a  vain  design  that  Satan  and  his 
partakers  are  driving  on.  "  Why  do  the  heathen  rage, 
and  the  people  imagine  a  vain  thing?"  Psalm  2 : 1. 
It  is  a  vain  design,  and  it  is  a  fatal  design  to  them- 
selves :  "  Thou  shalt  break  them  with  a  rod  of  iron, 
thou  shalt  dash  them  in  pieces  like  a  potter's  vessel." 

In  the  first  dawning  of  this  glorious  daylight,  it 
was  promised  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  should  break 
the  serpent's  head.  "  I  will  put  enmity  between  thee 
and  the  woman,  and  between  thy  seed  and  her  seed ; 
it  shall  bruise  thy  head,  and  thou  shalt  bruise  his 
heel."  Gen.  3:  15.  "Now  is  the  judgment  of  this 
world ;  now  shall  the  prince  of  this  world  be  cast  out." 
John  12  :  31.  Cast  out ;  whence  ?  Why,  cast  out  of 
his  kingdom,  out  of  his  hold,  cast  down  from  his  throne 
and  dominion.  His  prison  is  broken,  and  now  the  prey 
is  taken  from  the  strong,  the  captives  of  the  mighty 
are  taken  away. 

But  you  say,  "Was  this  indeed  done  at  the  death 
of  Christ,  to  which  these  words  refer  ?  Does  not  Sa- 
tan still  reign?  Is  he  not  still  the  god  of  this  world, 
and  the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air  ?  Yea,  what  a 
hold  has  he  yet  of  the  saints  that  are  in  the  earth ! 
What  a  tyrant  is  he  to  them ;  how  does  he  entangle  and 


THE  POWERS  OF  DARKNESS.  87 

ensnare  them ;  what  havoc  does  he  make  in  their  con- 
sciences ;  lording  it  over  them,  leading  them  captives 
by  lusts  and  temptations ;  what  a  strong  party  has 
he  still  within  them,  bearing  arms  against  their  Lord, 
fighting  against  their  souls.  What  sad  inroads  does 
he  make  upon  their  grace,  upon  their  peace ;  they 
cannot  rest  for  him  day  nor  night,  abroad  nor  at  home, 
alone  nor  in  company ;  he  is  ever  following  them ; 
whithersoever  they  go,  the  devil  is  at  their  backs ; 
they  cannot  pray,  nor  read,  nor  spend  a  thought,  nor 
cast  a  look,  nor  dispatch  a  sigh  towards  the  Lord,  but 
Satan  stands  by  to  resist  and  hinder  them.  What  a 
yoke  has  he  still  upon  their  neck  ;  what  clogs  and 
weights  has  he  still  upon  their  loins;  how  do  they 
mourn  in  their  souls  while  he  vexes  them  from  day  to 
day ;  how  do  they  groan,  and  travail  in  pain,  sighing 
in  themselves  and  waiting  for  their  redemption.  How 
is  it  then  said,  Now  is  he  cast  out?"  Because  now  he 
hath  received  his  judgment :  "  The  prince  of  this  world 
is  judged."  John  16  :  11.  Now  is  the  fatal  blow 
given,  now  is  the  serpent's  head  broken,  though  lie 
still  may  bruise  and  hang  on  the  saints.  The  blow 
he  levelled  at  our  Lord  has  rebounded  on  his  own 
head.  Though  he  be  as  Grad,  a  serpent  in  the  way, 
yet  you  may  now  tread  upon  this  serpent  and  it  shall 
not  hurt  you.  The  strong  man  is  now  bound  ;  if  he 
be  a  god  still,  he  is  a  god  in  chains,  a  prince  in  fetters ; 
he  must  ask  leave  of  your  Father,  ere  he  can  touch 
one  hair  of  your  heads.  He  cannot  tempt  you,  nor 
cast  a  bank  against  you,  nor  shoot  an  arrow  at  you, 
without  a  commission  from  heaven.     The  devils  are 


88  HEAVEN  OPENED.. 

subject  to  you.  He  is  cast  out,  and  in  your  Lord's 
name  you  may  cast  him  out ;  you  may  be  instruments 
to  bring  many  a  soul  to  repentance,  that  they  may 
recover  themselves  out  of  the  snares  of  the  devil,  who 
are  held  captive  by  him  at  his  will.  Every  sinner 
that  is  converted  by  you,  you  have  cast  out  a  devil 
from  that  soul. 

Though  he  be  an  adversary  still,  yet  is  he  such 
an  adversary  as  may  be  resisted:  "Whom  resist, 
steadfast  in  the  faith."  1  Pet.  5  :  9.  And  if  you  will 
resist,  he  shall  flee  from  you.  James  4 : 7.  Stand, 
and  your  enemy  runs. 

Nay,  more,  he  is  not  only  a  conquered  enemy,  but 
is  made  your  servant.  This  viper  shall  yield  you 
medicine  against  his  own  poison.  His  smitings  shall 
be  an  excellent  oil;  the  messengers  he  sends  to  buffet 
you,  the  thorns  he  sticks  in  your  flesh,  shall  be  a  pre- 
vention of  greater  evils.  The  very  destruction  he  in- 
tends to  bring  upon  you  shall  promote  your  salva- 
tion. His  winds  shall  blow  off"  your  chaff,  his  floods 
shall  wash  away  your  filth,  his  earthquakes  shall  open 
your  prison-doors,  his  tempests  shall  drive  you  to  har- 
bor. Some  men  need  a  tempest  to  save  them  from  a 
wreck. 

Nay,  once  more,  he  is  not  low  enough  yet ;  he 
shall  be  brought  yet  lower.  You  have  assurance  of 
his  total  and  final  overthrow.  "The  God  of  peace 
shall  bruise  Satan  under  your  feet  shortly."  Romans 
16  :  20.  "  The  devil  shall  be  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire 
and  brimstone."  Rev.  20  :  10.  It  is  but  a  little  while, 
and  when  he  has  done  his  work  he  shall  be  sent  to 


DEATH  IN  THE   COVENANT.  89 

his  place,  where  he  shall  be  shut  up,  and  a  seal  set 
upon  him;  whence  he  shall  come  out  no  more  for 
ever.  He  shall  tempt  no  more,  vex  no  more,  deceive 
no  more,  destroy  no  more,  torment  you  no  more ;  he 
shall  be  thrust  out,  he  shall  be  chained  up  ;  the  tor- 
mentor shall  be  tormented  day  and  night  for  ever  and 
ever. 

Stand,  Christians,  stand  your  ground  a  little  while  ; 
follow  your  work,  hold  up  your  holy  profession,  hold 
on  your  holy  course ;  keep  your  hearts,  keep  your 
garments,  keep  on  your  armor,  keep  corruption  under, 
resist  temptation,  bear  your  affliction  ;  hold  out  faith 
and  patience,  fight  again  your  adversaries,  watch  with 
your  Lord  this  one  hour,  and  behold,  he  that  shall 
come,  will  come ;  he  cometh  quickly,  and  he  that  is 
in  the  world  shall  be  consumed  with  the  breath  of  his 
mouth,  and  destroyed  with  the  brightness  of  his  ap- 
pearing. He  shall  be  cast  out,  he  shall  be  cast  down, 
and  rise  no  more  for  ever. 

III.  God  has  put  death  into  the  covenant.  "Wheth- 
er Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or  the  world,  or  life, 
or  death,  all  are  yours."  1  Cor.  3  :  21.  Death  !  there 
is  a  great  purchase,  you  will  say;  what  advantage 
is  that  ?  Yes,  death  is  an  advantage.  To  die  is  gain. 
For, 

1.  The  commission  of  death  is  changed.  It  was 
once,  Take  him,  jailer;  away  with  him,  carry  him  to 
prison,  there  to  be  reserved  to  the  judgment  of  the 
great  day.  It  is  now,  Take  him,  janitor;  take  him, 
porter ;  take  him  in,  give  him  an  entrance  into  his 


90  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Master's  joy.  Death  does  but  take  the  bride  when 
she  is  ready,  and  lodges  her  in  the  chamber  of  the 
bridegroom  ;  this  made  death  the  apostle's  desire:  "I 
desire  to  depart,  and  to  be  with  Christ,  which  is  far 
better."    Phil.  1  :  23. 

2.  Death  is  conquered.  What  does  this  mean? 
Your  enemy  is  yours ;  your  enemy  is  subjected  to 
you;  a  conquered  enemy  is  made  a  tributary j  death 
is  disarmed,  it  has  lost  its  sting.  "When  a  serpent  has 
lost  its  sting,  you  may  take  it  into  your  bosom.  He 
that  can  say,  "Death,  where  is  thy  sting?"  may  go 
on  and  add,  "Thanks  be  to  G-od,  which  hath  given 
me  the  victory."  A  signet  sent  from  heaven  with  a 
death's  head,  is  a  precious  token.  Come,  Christians, 
be  of  good  courage ;  set  your  feet  on  the  neck  of  this 
king  of  terrors. 

3.  Death  is  at  once  the  destruction  of  all  their 
enemies.  "When  once  death  has  done  its  office  upon 
them,  then  farewell  Edom,  and  Amnion,  and  Amalek, 
and  Egypt — farewell  the  pricking  brier  and  the  griev- 
ing thorn ;  then  farewell  sin  and  sorrow  for  ever :  the 
Egyptians  they  have  seen  and  feared  and  felt  to-day, 
they  shall  never  see  again  for  ever.  It  destroys  itself, 
the  saints'  last  enemy,  by  destroying  them  ;  it  has  its 
welcome  and  farewell  the  same  moment ;  it  is  but 
"Welcome  death!"  and  "Farewell  death  for  ever!" 
Death  dies  with  the  saints ;  once  dead,  they  die  no 
more  for  ever ;  mortality  is  swallowed  up  of  life  ; 
death  is  cast  into  the  lake  of  fire  ;  that  is  its  region ; 
there,  there  souls  die,  and  die,  and  die  again,  over 
and  over,  for  ever  and  ever :  but  for  the  saints,  it 


DEATH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  91 

does  but  set  them  on  the  banks  of  that  good  land, 
whither  it  cannot  follow  them.  Our  Lord  by  death, 
by  ours  as  well  as  his  own,  has  delivered  those  who 
"  through  fear  of  death  were  all  their  lifetime  subject 
to  bondage." 

Christians,  you  may  now  not  only  with  patience, 
but  with  desire,  expect  the  assault  of  this  king  of  ter- 
rors. "  What,  shall  tribulation,  and  persecution,  and 
famine,  and  nakedness,  and  peril,  and  sword ;  shall 
sorrows  and  fears  and  mortality  die  with  me  ?  Yea, 
shall  sin  die  with  me  ?  then  welcome  death.  Lord, 
strengthen  me  this  once,  let  me  die  with  the  Philis- 
tines." Would  it  be  good  for  thee  to  be  with  thy 
Father;  in  the  bosom  of  thy  Bridegroom;  the  pres- 
ence-chamber of  thy  Lord  and  Love  ?  Would  it  be 
a  mercy  to  thee  to  weep  no  more,  fear  no  more,  suffer 
no  more,  be  tempted  no  more,  sin  no  more ;  to  be 
unclothed  of  corruption,  and  be  clothed  upon  with 
immortality  and  incorruption  ?  Then  bid  death  wel- 
come. 

Blessed  souls,  when  you  come  ashore,  and  see  the 
light,  the  love,  the  joy,  the  rest,  the  glory,  that  is  on 
the  other  side,  you  will  then  more  fully  understand 
what  this  meaneth,  "  Death  is  yours."  Ho  knew 
something,  who  said,  "  I  cannot  tell  you  what  sweet 
pain  and  delightsome  torments  are  in  Christ's  love;  I 
often  challenge  time,  that  holdeth  us  asunder  ;  I  have 
for  the  present  a  sick  life,  much  pain,  and  much  love- 
sickness  for  Christ ;  0  what  would  I  give  to  have  a 
bed  made  for  my  wearied  soul  in  his  bosom !  0 
when  shall  we  meet  ?    0  how  long  is  it  to  the  dawning 


92  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

of  the  marriage-day?  0  sweet  Lord  Jesus,  take  wide 
steps  :  come  over  the  mountains  at  one  stride.  0  my 
Beloved,  flee  as  a  roe,  or  a  young  hart  upon  the  moun- 
tains of  separation.  0  if  he  would  fold  the  heavens 
together  like  an  old  cloak,  and  shovel  time  and  days 
out  of  the  way,  and  come  quickly." 

IV.  God  hath  put  the  kingdom  into  this  covenant : 
"  Theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  Matt.  5:3.  "  It 
is  your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  king- 
dom." Luke  12  :  32.  Glorious  things  are  spoken  of 
thee,  0  thou  city  of  God.  I  might  here  enlarge  in 
describing  the  glory  of  this  kingdom ;  but  when  I 
have  said  all,  I  must  at  last  leave  it  within  the  veil ; 
and  therefore  shall  only  tell  you  from  the  apostle, 
"  Eye  hath  not  seen,  nor  ear  heard,  neither  have 
entered  into  the  heart  of  man,  the  things  which  God 
hath  prepared  for  them  that  love  him,"  etc.  1  Cor. 
2  :  9.  When  by  the  Spirit  of  wisdom  and  revelation, 
the  eyes  of  your  understandings  are  opened,  ye  shall 
know  "  what  is  the  hope  of  his  calling,  and  what  the 
riches  of  the  glory  of  his  inheritance  in  the  saints." 
Eph.  1 :  18. 


A  NEW  HEART  IN  THE  COVENANT.      93 


CHAPTER   VI. 

A  NEW  HEART  IN  THE  COVENANT. 

God  hath  put  into  the  covenant  all  the  means  of 
salvation — all  things  necessary  to  our  obtaining  the 
everlasting  kingdom. 

All  the  outward  means  of  salvation.  Ordinances — 
the  word,  sacraments,  and  prayer  ;  officers — prophets, 
apostles,  evangelists,  pastors,  and  teachers.  Ephes. 
4  :  11,  12  ;  1  Cor.  3  :  22. 

All  the  inward  means  of  salvation.  Every  grace, 
every  duty ;  our  obtaining  the  one,  and  performing 
the  other ;  these  are  all  comprehended  in  the  second 
part  of  that  great  promise,  "They  shall  be  my 
people."     Two  things  are  hereby  signified : 

The  first  is,  I  will  account  you  and  reckon  you  for 
mine.  You  shall  have  the  privilege  and  the  blessings 
of  my  people.  I  will  set  you  apart,  and  separate  you 
to  myself,  out  of  all  the  tribes  and  kindreds  of  the 
earth ;  and  will  avouch  you  for  my  portion  and  pecu- 
liar possession.  I  will  set  you  as  the  apple  of  mine 
eye,  as  a  seal  upon  my  heart,  and  upon  mine  arm.  I 
will  mark  you  out  for  the  people  of  my  love ;  of  you 
will  I  take  care,  for  you  will  I  provide,  with  you  are 
my  delights,  over  you  will  I  rejoice,  with  you  will  I 
dwell,  and  you  shall  dwell  with  me  for  ever. 

The  other  is,  I  will  not  only  reckon  you  for  my 
people,  but  I  will  undertake  for  you,  that  you  shall 
consent  to  me,  accept  of  me,  own  me,  follow  me, 


94  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

and  cleave  to  me  as  my  people.  I  will  not  only  sep- 
arate you  to  myself,  but  I  will  fashion  you  for  my- 
self; I  will  sanctify  you,  and  guide  you,  and  teach 
you,  and  help  you.  I  will  fulfil  in  you  all  the  good 
pleasure  of  my  will ;  I  will  work  all  your  works  in 
you  ;  I  will  avouch  you  for  my  people,  and  you  shall 
avouch  me  for  your  God.  You  shall  love  me,  fear 
me,  obey  me ;  I  will  keep  you  from  falling,  and  pre- 
serve you  to  my  heavenly  kingdom. 

Particularly,  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  give  them, 
1.  A  new  heart ;  2.  A  heart  to  know  the  Lord  ;  3.  One 
heart ;  4.  A  heart  of  flesh ;  5.  A  heart  to  love  the  Lord ; 
6.  A  heart  to  fear  the  Lord ;  7.  A  heart  to  obey  the 
Lord  ;  8.  A  heart  to  endure  to  the  end. 

A  NEW  HEART. 

"  A  new  heart  will  I  give  you,  and  a  new  spirit 
will  I  put  within  you."  Ezek.  36 :  26.  This  new 
heart  is  the  genus  comprising  all  the  graces  noticed  in 
the  chapters  which  follow ;  and  therefore  the  less  shall 
suffice  to  be  spoken  of  it  here.  A  new  heart,  that  is, 
not  physically  new  in  regard  to  substance,  but  mor- 
ally only  in  regard  to  qualities. 

This  new  heart  signifies  both  another  heart,  and  a 
more  excellent  heart.  It  is  said  of  Caleb,  Numbers 
14 :  24,  that  he  had  another  heart.  And  this  other 
heart  is  declared  to  be  a  more  excellent  heart  than 
was  in  the  rest  of  the  people.  While  they  either  fol- 
lowed not  the  Lord,  or  did  so  but  haltingly,  he  fol- 
lowed the  Lord  fully.  "  A  man  of  understanding  is  of 
an  excellent  spirit."     Prov.  17  :  27. 


A  NEW  HEART  IN  THE  COVENANT.      95 

There  is  another  heart  that  is  not  a  new  heart. 
Nebuchadnezzar  had  another,  but  no  new  heart — the 
heart  of  a  beast  for  the  heart  of  a  man  :  an  evil  heart 
grown  worse  is  not  a  new  heart,  but  the  old  heart 
grown  older.  We  read  that  when  Saul  was  anointedi 
king,  God  gave  him  another  heart,  1  Sam.  10  :  9  ; 
this  was  a  more  excellent  heart  than  he  had  before, 
and  yet  not  the  heart  here  promised.  He  gave  to 
him  another  heart,  that  is,  the  spirit  of  government ; 
the  heart  of  a  king  instead  of  the  heart  of  a  private 
person  ;  a  more  public,  enlarged,  heroic  heart ;  the 
heart  of  a  king,  fitted  to  the  station  and  office  of  a 
king. 

The  excellences  of  this  new  heart  are  not  natural, 
but  spiritual  excellences,  as  will  appear  more  in  the 
handling  of  the  particular  graces  promised  ;  and  are 
such  as  fit  Christians  for  their  new  state,  work,  and 
reward. 

For  their  new  state.  Christians  are  made  the 
children  of  Grod,  vessels  of  honor,  a  royal  priesthood, 
a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people  ;  and  God  gives  them 
a  heart  answering  to  the  dignity  of  their  high  calling. 

For  their  new  work.  A  Christian  hath  better 
work  to  do  than  other  men :  while  their  business  lies 
all  here  below,  in  this  earth,  in  their  fields  and  vine- 
yards, etc.,  Christians'  work  lies  above,  with  their  God 
and  their  Jesus,  and  within,  about  their  nobler  and 
immortal  part  ;  their  work  is  spiritual,  and  such  is 
the  heart  that  is  given  to  them. 

For  their  new  reward.  God  intends  better  things 
for  them  ;  a  better  portion,  a  better  hope,  better  com- 


96  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

forts,  joys,  and  delights  here,  and  a  better  inheritance 
hereafter ;  and  he  prepares  them  better  hearts  to  re- 
ceive these  better  things ;  he  will  not  put  his  new 
wine  into  old  bottles. 

The  excellences  of  this  new  heart  may  be  reduced 
to  these  three: 

1.  A  new  light,  discovering  the  dignity  of  their 
state,  the  spirituality  of  their  work,  the  glory  of  their 
reward. 

2.  A  new  law,  or  frame,  or  bent  of  spirit,  inclin- 
ing, disposing,  and  fitting  them  to  all  that  which  they 
are  made  for.  And  this  is  the  meaning  of  God's  writ- 
ing his  law  in  the  heart.  The  law  written  in  the 
heart  signifies  not  only  the  law  made  known  in  the 
heart,  but  the  heart  made  suitable  to  the  law,  and 
adapted  to  the  obedience  of  it.  There  is  a  kind  of 
connaturalness  between  the  new  heart  and  all  that 
the  law  requires. 

3.  A  new  power,  strengthening  them  for  their  new 
work.  We  have  all  these  mentioned  in  one  scrip- 
ture :  "  God  hath  not  given  us  the  spirit  of  fear,  but 
of  power,  and  of  love,  and  of  a  sound  mind."  2  Tim. 
1:7.  A  sound  mind,  there  is  the  new  light ;  a  spirit 
of  love,  there  is  the  new  law,  or  frame,  and  with  these 
a  spirit  of  power. 

In  sum,  this  new  heart  is  the  divine  nature,  the 
image  of  God  renewed,  the  life  of  God  begotten, 
Christ  formed  in  them.  A  heart  after  God's  own 
heart,  containing  in  it  all  those  graces  of  the  Spirit, 
wherein  stand  their  likeness  to  God  and  their  capa- 
city of  serving  and  enjoying  him.     This  is  the  heart 


A  NEW  HEART  IN  THE  COVENANT.      97 

the  Lord  will  give :  "  A  new  heart  will  I  give  unto 
you." 

Against  all  these  glorious  things  promised,  it  would 
he  objected,  "  A  kingdom  promised  !  glory  and  honor 
and  everlasting  blessedness  granted  !  Alas,  what  is 
all  this  to  me?  To  whom  is  it  promised;  or  upon 
what  terms  ?  "When  I  consider  what  is  required,  it 
is  all  one  to  me  as  if  there  had  been  nothing  prom- 
ised. The  way  to  this  blessedness  is  too  narrow,  the 
gate  is  too  strait  for  me  ever  to  hope  to  enter.  What- 
ever the  crown  be,  the  strictness  and  severities  of  a 
Christian  course,  the  very  foresight  of  them  does 
amaze  and  confound  me.  Live  a  new  life!  deny  my- 
self, take  up  my  cross,  follow  Christ,  spend  my  days 
in  fasting  and  praying  and  mourning ;  live  by  rule, 
look^to  every  step,  to  every  word,  to  every  thought — 
all  these  things  are  against  me.  A  new  life,  a  new 
course :  if  this  be  it,  I  shall  never  bear  it.  It  is  all 
one  to  me  as  if  there  had  been  no  Christ,  no  gospel, 
no  kingdom  promised,  if  it  cannot  be  obtained  upon 
other  terms  than  these.  I  may  even  as  well  sit  down 
as  I  am,  and  run  the  venture  of  what  follows,  as  to 
feed  myself  with  hopes  of  that  which  I  see  I  can  never 
obtain.  If  I  do  but  move  heavenwards,  the  stream 
carries  me  down ;  if  I  do  but  take  up  a  thought, 
make  an  essay,  set  a  foot  forward  towards  this  new 
course,  I  find  my  old  things  hang  upon  my  heels. 
My  old  customs,  my  old  companions,  my  old  pleas- 
ures and  ease  and  liberties  quickly  pull  me  back.  0 
what  shall  I  do?  I  must  be  undone,  I  must  be  a  lost 
and  condemned  wretch.     Fain  I  would  be  happy,  but 


98  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

I  cannot  be  holy.  I  dread,  I  often  tremble  to  think 
of  losing  Christ,  and  the  blessings  of  his  gospel ;  but 
this  wretched  heart  is  too  hard  for  me,  and  will  not 
come.  I  am  ashamed,  I  am  plagued  to  think  what  I 
am  likely  to  lose,  and  for  how  little ;  but  I  cannot 
help  it ;  the  way  is  such  that  this  foolish  heart  will 
never  endure  it." 

Why,  hearken,  soul ;  the  Lord  who  hath  called 
thee  to  this  new  course,  will  give  thee  a  new  heart. 
And  there  is  not  any  thing  required  in  a  holy  life  so 
irksome  and  so  contrary  to  thee,  but  this  new  heart 
is  so  fitted  and  suited  to  it  that  it  will  become  easy  to 
thee.  Its  pain  will  be  pleasant,  its  severity  will  be 
liberty,  its  very  drudgery,  as  thou  countest  it,  will  be 
a  great  delight.  "  I  delight  to  do  thy  will,  0  my 
God  ;  yea,  thy  law  is  within  my  heart."  Psa.  40  :  8. 
And  of  the  renewed  soul  it  is  said,  "  His  delight  is  in 
the  law  of  the  Lord :"  in  the  original,  his  will,  his 
heart,  is  in  the  law.  Psa.  1  :  2.  The  law  is  in  the 
heart,  and  his  heart  is  in  the  law.  G-od's  will  and  his 
are  the  same.  Whatever  God  bids  him  do,  his  heart 
bids  him  do,  and  his  hand  will  never  say  his  heart 
nay.  He  that  delights  in  the  law  because  it  is  a  law 
commanding  such  things,  will  never  grudge  to  do 
what  it  commands. 

Where  it  is  a  pleasure  to  be  commanded,  it  is  no 
pain  to  obey.  Whatever  work  the  law  cuts  him  out, 
this  work  he  loves.  Bid  him  pray,  bid  him  watch, 
bid  him  walk  humbly  with  his  God ;  it  is  work  he 
loves ;  it  is  in  his  heart  to  do  it.  Bid  a  saint  draw 
nigh  to  God  in  any  duty ;  it  is  as  if  you  bade  the 


A  NEW  HEART  IN  THE  COVENANT.      99 

hungry  to  eat,  or  the  thirsty  to  drink,  the  naked  to 
be  clothed,  the  beggar  to  come  for  alms,  or  the  poor 
laborer  for  a  day's  work.  Bid  a  Christian  deny  him- 
self, or  crucify  his  flesh;  it  is  the  same  as  if  you  bade 
him  deny  his  enemy,  revenge  himself  on  his  enemy  : 
such  revenge  is  sweet.  But  0  how  pleasant  is  it  to 
him  to  be  called  to  a  life  of  praise ;  to  live  above  in 
the  light,  in  the  love,  in  the  joy  of  the  Lord ;  to  be 
searching  and  studying  and  looking  into,  and  admir- 
ing those  everlasting  treasures  of  spiritual  and  heav- 
enly delights  laid  up  in  God ;  to  behold  his  face,  to 
live  in  his  presence,  and  to  dwell  in  the  light  of  his 
countenance !  It  is  true,  there  is  some  remaining 
difficulty  and  irksomeness  in  the  sweetest  works  of 
religion,  as  far  forth  as  the  heart  is  unrenewed  and  is 
yet  carnal.  "  Deny  myself;  mortify  lust ;  forsake  my 
companions  ;  withdraw  from  iniquity  !  why,  what  is 
this  but  to  cut  off  my  hand ;  to  pluck  out  my  eyes ; 
to  tear  my  flesh  ?  Walk  with  God  ;  seek  his  face  ; 
dwell  in  his  presence !  it  is  all  one  as  to  bid  me  feed 
on  the  air,  wander  on  the  mountains,  dwell  in  the 
wilderness ;  and  as  much  pleasure  can  I  find  in  the 
one  as  in  the  other."  It  is  so  indeed,  as  far  as  thou 
remainest  carnal ;  the  Lord  God  and  all  his  ways  are 
a  wilderness,  a  land  of  darkness  to  thee ;  but  as  much 
as  thou  hast  of  this  new  heart,  so  much  ease  and 
pleasure  thou  wilt  find  herein. 

Desponding  soul,  thou  sayest  thou  art  yet  ignorant, 
and  hast  little  knowledge  of  the  way  of  the  Lord ;  but 
behold  a  new  light  to  lead  thee.  Thou  art  yet  carnal, 
and  thy  heart  is  contrary,  and  ever  contending  with 


100  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

God ;  but  the  new  nature  will  end  the  strife.  Thou 
art  weak  and  impotent,  the  work  is  too  hard  for  thee, 
if  thou  lovedst  it  ever  so  well ;  but  how  will  this  be 
when  thou  art  endued  with  power  from  on  high  ? 

0  friend,  wouldst  thou  indeed  live  this  new  life  ? 
then  get  this  new  heart.  "But  0,  there  lies  the  diffi- 
culty; how  or  where  shall  I  get  it?"  Why,  have  re- 
course to  the  covenant;  there  it  lies  for  thee.  "But 
how  shall  I  get  it  thence  ?"  Why,  hath  not  the  Lord 
promised  to  give  it  thee  ?  take  the  word  from  his 
mouth,  and  put  it  into  thine  own ;  turn  the  word  of 
promise  into  a  prayer.  Doth  he  say,  "I  will  give?" 
let  thy  soul  answer,  "Give,  Lord,  give  me  this 
new  heart.  I  am  weary,  Lord,  and  thou  art  weary 
also  of  this  wicked  heart :  at  once  ease  thyself  and 
me ;  take  away  this,  and  give  me  a  better  heart." 
Turn  the  word  of  promise  into  a  prayer,  and  then 
turn  the  word  of  prayer  into  a  word  of  faith.  He 
says,  "I  will  give;"  let  thy  faith  say,  "Thou  wilt 
give,  I  shall  have  it ;  since  thou  hast  said,  thy  ser- 
vant may  also  boldly  say,  thou  wilt  do  it.  Thou  wilt 
give  me  a  better  heart.  Farewell,  my  old  sins,  lusts, 
and  companions ;  farewell,  my  old  pleasures  and  ways ; 
now  for  heaven  in  earnest,  now  welcome  the  strait 
gate,  the  new  and  living  way.  Old  things  are  passed 
away,  all  things  shall  become  new."  Turn  the  word 
of  promise  into  a  prayer,  turn  thy  prayer  into  a  word 
of  faith,  and  God  will  turn  the  word  of  faith  into  a 
word  of  command.  "Be  it  according  to  thy  word. 
Let  there  be  a  new  light,  let  there  be  a  new  law,  let 
there  be  a  new  power,  let  there  no  more  be  a  spirit  of 


A  NEW  HEART  IN   THE   COVENANT.  101 

fear  in  this  heart,  hut  a  spirit  of  power,  of  love,  and 
of  a  sound  mind."  And  as  when  he  said  in  the  crea- 
tion of  the  great  world,  "Let  there  be  light,"  let  there 
be  a  firmament,  let  there  be  a  sun  and  moon,  it  was 
so;  so  when  he  shall  say,  in  the  new  creation  of  thy 
little  world,  Let  there  be  light,  let  there  be  love,  let 
there  be  power — let  us  again  make  man  in  our  image, 
after  our  own  likeness,  it  shall  be  so.  The  Lord  hath 
said,  I  will ;  let  thy  prayer  say,  Do  it,  Lord ;  let  thy 
faith  say,  Thou  wilt  do  it;  and  Grod  will  say,  Amen 
So  be  it. 


102  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD. 

"I  will  give  them  a  heart  to  know  me."  Jer. 
24 :  7.  The  knowledge  of  God  is  the  first  excellency 
of  the  new  heart.  As  in  the  old,  so  in  the  new  crea- 
tion, as  was  said  before,  the  first  word  is,  "  Let  there 
be  light."  There  is  not  so  glorious  a  preeminence  of 
day  above  night,  as  of  the  knowledge  above  the  igno- 
rance of  God.  As  the  firmament  without  a  sun,  as 
the  body  without  an  eye,  so  is  the  soul  without  know- 
ledge. "What  this  knowledge  of  God  here  promised  is, 
will  appear,  if  we  consider  its  object  and  its  act. 

The  object  of  this  knowledge  is  God  :  not  only  the 
nature  or  being  of  God,  manifested  in  his  essential 
perfections,  his  glorious  attributes,  his  infiniteness, 
eternity,  omnipotence,  in  his  personal  relations,  the 
subsistences  in  the  godhead ;  but  God  in  Christ  God 
in  covenant ;  yea,  the  whole  mind  and  will  of  God, 
all  that  which  God  hath  revealed  to  us  as  our  duty 
or  happiness.  God  known  in  the  heart,  is  the  whole 
Bible  opened :  the  law  opened,  the  gospel  opened ; 
duties,  comforts,  privileges  made  manifest.  Christ 
opened  in  his  sufferings,  in  his  satisfaction,  in  his 
Spirit,  in  all  the  riches  of  his  glory :  the  whole  mys- 
tery of  godliness  revealed.  The  heart  opened,  man 
made  known  to  himself,  all  the  depths  of  the  heart, 
all  the  deceits  of  the  heart,  all  the  faculties  and  pow- 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.       103 

ers  of  the  heart,  with  their  motions,  operations,  in- 
clinations, the  rectitude  or  obliquities  of  them.  Heav- 
en opened,  the  crown,  the  kingdom  known;  everlast- 
ing rest,  glory,  honor,  immortality  brought  to  light. 
Hell  opened,  sin  known,  the  devil  known,  wrath, 
temptation,  the  curse,  eternal  fire  known.  All  this, 
even  all  that  God  is,  and  all  that  he  has  revealed  in 
his  word  and  works,  are  the  object  of  this  knowledge 
of  God. 

The  act.  To  know,  is  to  apprehend,  or  understand 
God,  and  the  things  of  God  :  "Let  him  that  glorieth, 
glory  in  this,  that  he  understandeth  and  knoweth  me." 
Jer.  9:24.  "That  ye  may  be  able  to  comprehend 
with  all  saints  what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and 
depth,  and  height,  and  to  know  the  love  of  Christ." 
Eph.  3 :  18,  19.  This  apprehension  of  God  doth  not 
barely  denote  our  having  received  some  intellectual  or 
metaphysical  notions  of  God,  and  the  truths  that  are 
in  him  ;  but  further,  it  denotes, 

An  approbation  of  him ;  an  approving  or  liking 
the  things  that  are  excellent:  "That  your  love  may 
abound  yet  more  and  more  in  knowledge  and  in  all 
judgment,  that  ye  may  approve  things  that  are  excel- 
lent."   Phil.  1 :  9,  10. 

Appropriation.  The  knowing  of  God  as  a  recon- 
ciled God ;  a  God,  and  a  God  to  me ;  good,  and  good 
to  me  ;  wise,  and  wise  for  me  ;  my  Lord  and  my  God. 
To  know  God  in  Christ,  reconciled  through  Christ, 
propitious  through  Christ,  this  is  saving  knowledge. 
To  know  and  not  possess,  to  see  and  not  eat,  to  know 
an  angry  God,  a  wrathful  God,  a  God  lost — to  know 


104  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

goodness,  mercy,  loving-kindness,  compassion,  all-suf- 
ficiency, and  to  have  the  heart  recur,  "What  is  this 
to  thee  ?  this  is  none  of  thine " — the  damned  thus 
know,  and  die. 

Affection.  As  "they  that  know  thy  name  will 
put  their  trust  in  thee,"  Psalm  9 :  10,  so  those  that 
know  thy  name  will  love  thee,  and  fear  thee,  and  re- 
joice in  thee,  and  bless  thy  name.  To  know  and  hate 
God,  to  know  and  contemn  God,  to  know  and  fly  from 
God,  to  know  and  blaspheme  and  curse  God,  the  devils 
thus  know  and  tremble. 

But  especially  that  which  distinguishes  this  sav- 
ing from  common  knowledge  is,  its  power  and  its 
savor. 

I.  Its  power.  The  knowledge  of  God  is  mighty — 
my  preaching  was  not  weak,  but  mighty  in  you,  2  Cor. 
13  :  3.     It  hath, 

1.  A  transforming  power.  ""We  all,  with  open 
face  beholding  as  in  a  glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  are 
changed  into  the  same  image."  2  Cor.  3:18.  "Be 
ye  not  conformed  to  this  present  world,  but  be  ye 
transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your  minds."  Rom. 
12  :  2.  The  renovation  of  the  mind  both  is  this  change, 
and  works  it  further  upon  the  whole  soul ;  this  new 
light  is  the  new  creature ;  old  things  pass  away,  all 
things  become  new,  where  the  mind  is  savingly  en- 
lightened. God  known  in  the  soul,  is  God  united 
with  the  soul ;  Christ  revealed  in  the  heart,  is  Christ 
formed  upon  the  heart ;  there  is  life  in  this  light,  it  is 
no  other  than  the  light  of  life.  The  knowledge  of  God 
comprehends,  is  involved  in,  and  inspirits  and  ani- 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.       105 

mates  every  grace  and  duty.  As  the  same  soul  in  the 
eye  sees,  in  the  ear  hears,  in  the  palate  tastes — as  the 
same  juice  is  in  the  olive  fatness,  in  the  fig-tree  sweet- 
ness, in  the  oak  strength,  in  the  rose  fragrancy,  in  the 
lily  beauty;  so  the  same  grace,  which  in  the  mind  is 
light,  in  the  heart  is  love,  holy  desire,  holy  fear,  holy 
joy.  Thus  one  says,  that  as  feeling  is  inseparable  from 
all  the  organs  of  sense — as  the  eye  feels  and  sees,  the 
ear  feels  and  hears,  the  palate  feels  and  tastes,  the 
nostrils  feel  and  smell ;  so  knowledge  is  involved  in 
every  grace.  Faith  knows  and  believes,  charity  knows 
and  loves,  temperance  knows  and  abstains,  patience 
knows  and  suffers,  humility  knows  and  stoops,  repent- 
ance knows  and  mourns,  obedience  knows  and  does, 
compassion  knows  and  pities,  hope  knows  and  expects, 
confidence  knows  and  rejoices ;  and  therefore  we  be- 
lieve, and  love,  and  obey,  and  hope,  and  rejoice,  because 
we  know. 

God  gives  us  this  knowledge  as  the  eye  of  our 
souls,  and  by  that  eye  he  enters  with  all  his  power  and 
glory ;  that  ye  may  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which 
passeth  knowledge,  and  be  filled  with  all  the  fulness 
of  God.  Eph.  3 :  19.  Daylight  is  not  that  light  we 
receive  by  reflection  from  the  moon  and  stars,  at  sec- 
ond-hand :  when  the  sun  is  risen  and  come  in  among 
us,  then  it  is  day;  when  the  Sun  of  righteousness  is 
risen  in  the  heart,  there  is  the  light  of  life  ;  God  is 
and  God  dwells  in  this  light,  and  where  God  dwells 
every  unclean  thing  vanishes.  Can  darkness  dwell 
with  the  sun  ;  can  death  dwell  with  life  ?  According 
to  the  measure  of  the  manifestation  of  God  in  us,  so 


106  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

far  forth  is  sin  necessarily  vanished.  Thou  art  but 
the  carcass  of  a  Christian,  the  light  that  is  in  thee  is 
darkness,  the  life  that  is  in  thee  is  death,  if  thou  be 
not  in  the  whole  man  renewed  after  the  image  of  him 
that  created  thee.  If  Christ  be  not  formed  in  thy 
heart,  if  the  love,  the  humility,  the  meekness,  the 
patience,  the  compassion,  the  holiness  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  be  not  begotten  in  thee,  whatever  thou  know- 
est,  thou  knowest  nothing  as  thou  oughtest  to  know; 
if  thou  hast  all  knowledge  and  hast  not  charity,  and 
so  if  thou  hast  all  knowledge  and  hast  not  humility, 
meekness,  holiness,  thou  art  but  as  sounding  brass,  or 
a  tinkling  cymbal. 

Doubting  Christian,  that  complainest  of  and  be- 
wailest  thine  ignorance,  and  fearest  that  thou  knowest 
not  God,  look  upwards  where  his  glory  dwells ;  lift 
up  thine  eyes  and  see.  Or  if  thou  canst  not  see,  lift 
up  thy  heart  for  eyes  :  "  Lord,  where  dwellest  thou  ? 
let  me  see  thy  face,  show  me  thy  glory,  pity  the  blind, 
let  my  blind  eyes  be  opened,  and  my  tongue  shall  be 
loosed  and  speak  forth  thy  praise."  Look  upward, 
and  if  yet  thou  seest  not  thy  God,  look  inward: 
canst  thou  see  his  face  in  thy  soul?  canst  thou  see 
his  image  on  thy  heart?  canst  thou  behold  in  this 
glass  the  glory  of  the  Lord,  and  find  thyself  changed 
into  his  image  ?  then  comfort  thy  heart,  how  short- 
sighted soever  thou  seemest  to  be,  how  dim  soever  thy 
candle  burns,  how  weak  soever  in  the  knowledge  of 
God  thou  complainest  thou  art,  thou  hast  seen  God, 
thou  hast  seen  his  face  in  peace.  God  that  com- 
manded the  light  to  shine  out  of  darkness,  hath  shined 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.        107 

into  thy  heart,  and  given  thee  the  knowledge  of  his 
glory  in  the  face  of  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  A  fructifying1  power.  This  sunshine  makes  a 
,  fruitful  soil.  My  desire  for  you,  saith  the  apostle,  is 
"that  ye  might  he  filled  with  the  knowledge  of  his 
will  in  all  wisdom  and  spiritual  understanding ;  that 
ye  might  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing, 
being  fruitful  in  every  good  work,  and  increasing  in 
the  knowledge  of  God ;  strengthened  with  all  might, 
according  to  his  glorious  power,  unto  all  patience  and 
long-suffering  with  joyfulness."  Col.  1 :  9-11.  "  Be- 
ing filled  with  the  fruits  of  righteousness,  which  are 
by  Jesus  Christ,  unto  the  glory  and  praise  of  (rod," 
Phil.  1 :  11 ;  full  of  light  and  full  of  love,  of  faith,  of 
patience,  of  humility,  and  fruitful  in  every  good  work. 
"A  good  man,  out  of  the  good  treasure  of  the  heart, 
bringeth  forth  good  things ;  and  an  evil  man,  out  of 
the  evil  treasure,  bringeth  forth  evil  things."  Matt. 
12  :  35.  A  good  man  hath  a  good  treasure  within 
him,  a  treasure  of  heavenly  wisdom,  of  divine  truth, 
a  treasure  of  light ;  God  hath  shined  into  his  heart ; 
he  is  filled  with  all  the  fulness  of  God  ;  and  what  is 
laid  up  within,  he  brings  forth  without.  An  evil  man 
hath  an  evil  treasure,  Satan  hath  been  filling  his 
heart.  "  Why  hath  Satan  filled  thy  heart  ?"  Acts 
5 : 3.  The  treasures  of  darkness  are  there,  a  treas- 
ure of  lust  and  lies ;  falsehood  and  folly  are  found 
with  him  :  these  treasures  of  darkness  within  bring 
forth  darkness;  dark  souls  lead  dark  lives  ;  their  way 
is  dark,  their  deeds  are  darkness.  Oh,  how  fruitful 
are  sinners  in  their   unfruitful   works!    "filled  with 


108  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

all  unrighteousness,  fornication,  wickedness,  covet- 
ousness,  maliciousness,  envy,  murder,  debate,  deceit, 
malignity."  Romans  1  :  29,  30.  Their  hearts  are 
full,  and  thereupon  their  mouths  full,  their  eyes  full, 
their  hands  full ;  mouths  full  of  cursings,  eyes  full  of 
adultery,  hands  full  of  violence,  filled  with  all  un- 
righteousness. "  0  generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye, 
being  evil,"  having  such  hearts,  "speak  good  things?" 
All  is  evil  that  comes  from  you ;  and  how  can  it  be 
otherwise?  Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaks.  And  in  like  manner,  0  generation  of 
believers,  how  can  ye,  being  good,  but  bring  forth 
good  things  ?  Or  how  can  you  say  or  think  there  is  a 
treasure  of  grace,  a  fountain  of  light  within,  when  no 
streams  spring  forth  ?  Penury  in  the  life  speaks  no 
great  plenty  in  the  heart ;  the  truths  of  God  within 
you  are  the  seed  of  God,  the  good  seed  that  he  sows 
in  his  fields :  where  there  is  good  seed  sown  in  good 
ground,  you  will  expect  a  fruitful  harvest ;  a  bar- 
ren crop  speaks  a  barren  soil,  or  no  good  seed  sown 
there. 

"Hereby  we  do  know  that  we  know  him,  if  wo 
keep  his  commandments."  1  John,  2  :  3.  We  know 
God.  "But  are  you  sure  of  it?  Are  you  not  mista- 
ken?" No,  we  are  not  mistaken;  we  know  that  we 
know  him.  "But  how  do  you  know  it?"  Why,  how 
are  trees  known  ?  By  their  fruits  ye  shall  know  them. 
"How  do  ye  know  that. this  is  indeed  the  tree  of  know- 
ledge ?"  Why,  see  what  fruits  are  hanging  upon  it : 
we  keep  the  commandments ;  here  is  obedience  grow- 
ing, here  is  holiness  and  righteousness  and  mercy. 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.        109 

Doubtless  this  is  the  right  tree,  for  behold  all  the 
commandments,  the  two  tables  hanging  upon  the 
boughs  of  it,  and  not  broken,  but  kept  and  observed. 
We  may  as  well  say  obedience  is  no  obedience,  duty 
is  no  duty,  faith  and  love  and  humility  and  patience 
are  not  what  they  are,  as  that  the  tree  that  brings 
forth  this  fruit  is  not  the  tree  of  knowledge.  "  We 
know  that  we  know  him,  because  we  keep  his  com- 
mandments." Yea,  and  this  tree  of  knowledge  is  the 
tree  of  life  too,  both  in  one:  "A  tree  of  life  to  them 
that  lay  hold  upon  her."  Prov.  3:18.  Where  these 
fruits  are  not  found,  where  there  are  nothing  but 
shows  and  painted  fruits — where  there  are  nothing 
but  the  fruits  of  unrighteousness,  contention,  strife 
covetousness,  sensuality,  and  the  like — he  is  very  ig- 
norant indeed  that  is  not  able  to  say,  Whatever  I  am 
ignorant  of,  this  one  thing  I  know,  that  I  know  not 
God.  Christian,  boast  not  of  what  thou  hast,  but 
consider  what  thou  doest ;  try  thy  head  by  thy  heart, 
and  thy  heart  by  thy  hand  ;  judge  of  thy  light  by  thy 
love,  and  thy  love  by  thy  life ;  say  not  that  God  hath 
shined  into  thy  heart,  unless  thy  light  shine,  thy  works 
shine  before  men:  "The  path  of  the  just  shineth." 
Prov.  4  :  18.  It  is  but  a  form  of  knowledge  that,  brings 
forth  but  a  form  of  godliness ;  he  that  holdeth  the 
truth  in  unrighteousness,  hath  not  the  truth  in  him. 
Thou  say  est  thou  knowest  the  Lord,  but  what  say 
thy  ways?  Do  these  speak  the  same  things?  Ac- 
tion is  the  best  interpreter  of  the  inner  man  :  feel  the 
pulses  of  thy  heart ;  what  watchfulness,  what  holiness 
has  thy  knowledge  brought  forth  ?    Hast  thou  received 


110  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  Spirit,  who  yet  walkest  in  the  flesh?  What, 
heaven  in  thy  heart,  and  naught  but  earth  in  thy 
hand ;  truth  in  thy  heart,  and  lies  in  thy  mouth ; 
holiness  in  thy  heart,  glory  in  thy  heart,  and  in  thy 
tongue  nothing  hut  filth  or  froth  ?  What,  a  heart  so 
full,  and  a  life  so  empty ;  how  can  these  things  he  ? 
Has  the  light  in  thy  heart  given  laws  only  to  thy  heart  ? 
or  does  thy  heart  submit,  while  thy  tongue  rebels  and 
thou  kickest  with  the  heel  ? 

Woe  to  us  Christians,  that  sinners  should  be  so 
full,  and  saints  so  empty;  that  they  should  speak 
what  they  have  seen  with  their  father,  and  we  should 
speak  no  more  what  we  have  seen  with  our  Father; 
that  oaths,  and  lies,  and  blasphemies,  and  scoffs,  and 
cursing  should  be  so  rife  in  their  mouths,  and  that 
truth  and  goodness  and  holiness,  blessings  and  praises, 
should  be  no  more  in  ours;  that  there  should  be  so 
much  guile  in  their  lips,  and  so  little  grace  in  ours; 
that  the  shade  should  be  more  fruitful  than  the  sun ; 
that  the  good  ground  should  be  the  only  barren  ground ; 
that  their  habitations  should  be  so  full  of  violence  and 
oppression  and  wantonness,  and  no  more  mercy  and 
righteousness  and  sobriety  in  ours. 

Woe  to  us,  that  we  know  so  much  to  so  little  pur- 
pose ;  that  we  should  be  bushels  to  hide,  and  not 
rather  candlesticks  to  hold  forth  the  candle  of  the 
Lord  he  has  lighted  up  in  us.  0  how  many  dark 
souls  might  our  candle  lead  on  to  the  sun :  the  light 
that  is  in  Israel  might  do  much  towards  turning  Egypt 
into  a  Goshen.  Speak,  Christians,  speak  what  you 
have  seen,  and  testify  what  you  have  believed :  bring 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.  Ill 

forth  out  of  your  treasure  ;  pity  the  blind  world,  or  at 
least  be  more  helpful  one  to  another.  Instruct  as  you 
have  been  instructed  ;  convince  as  you  have  been  con- 
vinced ;  comfort  as  you  have  been  comforted  of  (rod. 
Outvie  sinners ;  let  not  their  mouths  be  so  full  of 
cursing  as  yours  of  blessing  ;  while  theirs  are  so  full 
of  blasphemies,  let  it  be  said  of  you  as  of  your  Lord, 
Full  of  grace  are  their  lips,  (rood  words  are  not 
wind  ;  you  may  reckon  them  not  among  the  leaves, 
but  the  fruit.  While  you  are  speaking  of  the  things 
of  God,  you  are  therein  doing  the  will  of  God.  I  con- 
fess the  proverb  is  true,  The  greatest  talkers  are  not 
always  the  greatest  doers.  But  it  is  true  also,  he  is 
seldom  a  great  doer  that  hath  nothing  to  say.  There 
is  a  speaking  which  is  our  doing.  There  is  a  speak- 
ing in  a  way  of  boasting,  to  magnify  and  set  up  our- 
selves ;  beware  of  that :  and  there  is  a  speaking  to  the 
use  of  edifying,  to  build  up  our  brethren.  When  we 
are  speaking  to  instruct,  to  convince,  to  awaken,  and 
whet  on  our  own  and  other  spirits  to  our  work,  we  are 
then  doing  our  work.  Speak,  Christians,  and  speak 
often  the  things  that  you  know ;  but  let  me  add,  let 
your  lives  speak  also,  and  not  your  lips  only.  If  you 
would  not  be  vain  talkers,  nor  all  tongue,  let  your 
lips  speak,  and  your  hands  speak,  and  your  feet  speak ; 
let  your  works  and  your  ways  speak  the  wonderful 
things  of  God.  Bring  forth  what  you  have  received  : 
he  that  is  all  inside,  and  he  that  is  all  outside,  are 
equally  nothing.  The  one  is  a  shadow  without  sub- 
stance, the  other's  substance  is  but  a  shadow  ;  the  one 
is  a  deceiver,  the  other  a  deceived  soul ;  the  one  boasts 


112  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

himself,  the  other  thinks  himself  something ;  hut  nei- 
ther is  any  thing. 

Christians,  be  full  of  good  fruits,  and  you  will 
make  full  proof  that  your  wisdom  is  from  above. 
"If  ye  know  these  things,  happy  are  ye  if  ye  do 
them." 

Feeble  Christian,  that  knowest  but  little  of  God 
and  callest  that  little  nothing,  while  thou  doubtest 
whether  the  light  hath  shined  into  thee,  dost  thou 
walk  in  the  little  light  thou  hast ;  dost  thou  shine  as 
a  light  in  the  world ;  dost  thou  know  how  to  be  holy 
and  humble  and  harmless  and  honest ;  dost  thou  live 
under  the  power  of  those  truths  thou  knowest ;  dost 
thou  fear  the  Lord,  and  obey  the  voice  of  his  ser- 
vants ?  If  so,  trust  in  the  Lord,  and  stay  thyself  on 
thy  God ;  thou  art  a  child  of  light,  though,  through 
thy  trembling  heart,  thou  walkest  in  darkness.  Hav- 
ing not  seen,  thou  lovest ;  and  believing,  thou  shalt 
rejoice  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory. 

II.  Its  savor.  "And  maketh  manifest  the  savor 
of  his  knowledge  by,  us  in  every  place."  2  Cor.  2  :  14. 
The  knowledge  of  Grod  is  sweet-scented ;  it  casts  forth 
a  fragrancy  wherever  it  comes.  It  hath  a  grateful- 
ness to  the  heart,  and  leaves  sweet  impressions  on  the 
senses  of  the  saints.  They  taste  that  the  Lord  is 
gracious.  As  their  breathings  go  up  as  sweet  incense, 
so  his  beams  come  down  with  like  sweetness  to  them. 
The  name  of  the  Lord  is  "as  ointment  poured  forth." 
Sol.  Song  1  :  3.  Why,  what  is  his  name  ?  This  is 
his  name :  "  The  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and 
gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness 


A  HEART  TO  KiNOW  THE  LORD.  113 

and  truth ;  keeping  mercy  for  thousands,  forgiving 
iniquity,  transgression,  and  sin."  Exod.  34  :  6,  7. 
Oh,  what  a  bundle  of  myrrh,  what  a  garden  of  spices 
is  here  inclosed.  What  a  sweet-smelling  savor  does 
it  send  forth  to  those  who  have  their  senses  exercised 
to  discern  both  good  and  evil. 

The  name  of  the  Lord  is  a  precious  ointment,  and 
the  knowledge  of  God  is  this  ointment  poured  forth. 
Where  God  is  known  in  the  soul,  there  his  sweet 
savor  is  shed  abroad.  The  thoughts  of  God  are  pre- 
cious, the  ways  of  God  are  pleasant  to  them  that 
understand  them.  His  fruit  was  sweet  unto  my 
taste.  Oh,  the  ineffable  pleasures  of  religion !  The 
carnal  world  count  it  an  insipid  thing ;  they  cannot 
taste ;  and  no  wonder,  for  they  do  not  see  the  things 
of  God,  nor  can  they,  because  they  are  spiritually 
discerned.  Let  God  be  savingly  known,  and  then 
you  will  find  what  the  savor  of  his  knowledge  is. 
This  light  is  sweet,  it  is  a  pleasant  thing  to  behold 
the  sun.  0  my  soul,  let  thy  walks,  let  thy  dwellings 
be  in  this  garden  of  the  Lord ;  let  the  sun  shine,  and 
the  smell  of  his  spices  shall  flow  forth  unto  thee.  0 
my  Lord,  shed  abroad  thy  sweet  ointment,  let  the 
smell  of  thy  garments  refresh  my  soul.  Let  me  taste 
and  see ;  let  me  see,  and  I  shall  taste  that  the  Lord 
is  gracious. 

Vanish,  all  ye  carnal  pleasures  and  sensual  de- 
lights ;  these  rosebuds  rot,  the  flowers  of  your  gar- 
dens wither,  dead  flies  are  in  all  your  ointments,  the 
light  of  the  Lord  hath  shined  all  your  glories  into 
darkness.     The  waters  of  the  sanctuary  have  made 


114  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

all  your  waters  brackish ;  there  remains  no  pleasure 
in  them. 

He  that  hath  known  the  Lord,  hath  more  or  less, 
according  to  the  measure  of  his  knowledge,  received 
in  the  relish  and  sweetness  of  it ;  and  what  he  hath 
received  in,  he  sends  forth  before  men ;  he  hath  re- 
ceived, and  he  is  a  sweet  savor.  As  the  preachers, 
so  the  practitioners  of  piety  are  a  sweet  savor  of 
Christ  unto  God,  and  hand  down  the  sweetness  of 
God  unto  men.  They  are  of  savory  lips,  and  of  sav- 
ory lives ;  the  savor  of  their  graces  is  shed  abroad  in 
the  churches  of  Christ.  Carnal  hearts  send  forth  a 
stench  instead  of  a  sweet  smell ;  they  are  all  rotten- 
ness, the  savor  of  a  sepulchre  is  all  they  have  ;  their 
ways,  their  words,  their  very  breath  smell  of  a  rotten 
heart ;  yea,  the  very  best  they  have,  their  pleasures, 
their  garments,  their  gallantry,  their  powders  and 
perfumes  and  sweet  odors  savor  of  their  proud  and 
vain  and  sensual  hearts.  But  Oh,  what  a  scent  do 
their  oaths  and  their  curses  and  their  scoffs  and  their 
lies  send  forth!  Sinners,  learn  to  know  the  Lord,  and 
this  will  quickly  change  your  savor.  And  you  that 
know  any  thing  of  God,  think  not  that  your  know- 
ledge is  saving,  till  your  souls  have  received  in,  and 
your  ways  do  send  forth  the  savor  of  his  knowledge. 

This  second  mark  of  a  heart  to  know  the  Lord, 
namely,  the  sweet  savor  of  this  knowledgej  the  pleas- 
ure that  it  brings  into  the  soul,  might  be  of  uncertain 
significance  if  it  stood  alone :  there  may  some  pleas- 
ure and  joy  arise  from  the  common  knowledge  of 
God  ;  and  sometimes  there  is  but  little  joy  where 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.       115 

there  is  true  religion.  But  where  it  is  found  in  con- 
junction with  the  former  mark,  ths  evidence  of  its 
soundness  will  be  more  full.  Find  all  together,  this 
transforming,  this  fructifying,  this  savory  knowledge, 
and  you  may  rest  satisfied  that  this  is  the  saving 
knowledge  of  God.  And  of  this  is  the  promise,  "  I 
will  give  them  a  heart  to  know  me." 

Oh,  how  much  need  have  we  si  ill  to  wait,  and  beg 
for  the  accomplishment  of  this  promise ;  how  little 
sound  knowledge  is  there  found  among  us  !  gome 
are  weak  in  knowledge  who  have  been  long  taught 
of  God,  and  yet  are  not  taught  of  God.  God  hath 
been  teaching  them,  but  they  have  not  learned  of 
him;  1hcy  have  had  a  good  master,  but  have  been 
poor  scholars — weak  men,  as  we  call  men  of  low  un- 
derstanding. Oh,  how  many  weak  souls  are  there, 
even  among  professing  Christians,  who,  though  they 
might  have  been  teachers  of  others,  yet  need  to  be 
taught  the  first  principles  of  the  oracles  of  God. 
Some  men  have  not  the  knowledge  of  God  ;  I  speak 
this  to  their  shame.     1  Cor.  15  :  34. 

Others  are  men  of  knowledge,  but  of  weak  know- 
ledge, who  know  much,  but  to  little  purpose ;  their 
great  knowledge  has  little  power  in  them  ;  their  lusts 
are  too  strong  for  their  light,  I  spake  unto  thee  with 
a  strong  hand,  and  instructed  thee.  Isa.  8:11.  If 
God  have  spoken  to  these  men,  yet  his  hand  has  not 
instructed  them ;  the  nail  has  not  been  struck  deep 
enough,  it  dwells  in  the  head  only,  it  has  not  reached 
their  heart ;  they  have  an  eye,  but  are  far  enough 
from  having  a  heart  to  know  the  Lord.     Their  know- 


116  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ledge  does  not  lead  them  on  to  religion,  but  must 
serve  them  instead  of  religion ;  it  is  made  to  serve, 
and  not  suffered  to  guide  and  govern — to  serve  their 
turns,  to  serve  their  interest,  to  serve  their  pride  and 
their  covetousness.  Their  knowledge  of  God  makes 
them  devils  ;  it  helps  them  to  play  the  hypocrite,  to  be 
deceivers  of  others,  yea,  and  of  their  own  souls.  It 
will  seek  them  out  acceptable  words,  put  prayers  into 
their  mouths,  praises  into  their  lips,  spiritualize  their 
language,  furnish  them  with  savory  discourse,  carry 
them  plausibly  through  duties,  which  in  name  are  for 
God's  glory  and  the  good  of  souls,  but  are  in  truth 
only  sacrifices  to  their  lusts.  The  knowledge  of  God 
humbleth,  but  this  knowledge  puffeth  up,  and  lifteth 
up — puffeth  them  up  in  their  own,  and  lifteth  them 
up  in  others'  thoughts ;  and  when  it  has  done  this,  it 
has  done  them  all  the  service  they  have  for  it  to  do, 
unless  it  may  be  they  have  some  worse  work  for  it — 
to  make  rents  and  divisions  in  the  church  of  Christ,  to 
maintain  disputes,  to  cavil  and  quarrel,  to  divide  and 
make  parties,  to  make  twenty  religions  out  of  one, 
till  at  length  they  make  that  one  to  be  none.  AVhile 
the  apostle  says,  "  Some  men  have  not  the  knowledge 
of  God,  I  speak  this  to  your  shame ;"  I  may  say 
also,  Some  men  have  the  knowledge  of  God,  I  speak 
this  to  their  shame.  What,  the  knowledge  of  God, 
and  no  more  humility ;  the  knowledge  of  God,  and 
no  more  charity  ?  I  speak  this  to  your  shame.  Have 
the  faith  of  Christ  in  respect  of  persons  ?  have  the 
knowledge  of  God  in  respect  of  parties  ?  know  God, 
and  yet  divide  and  scatter  and  confound  them  that 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.       117 

are  of  God  ?  yea,  and  contend  and  quarrel  about 
small  differences,  and  protest,  "  Here  is  God,  and 
not  there;  with  us,  and  not  with  you?"  when,  it  may 
be,  a  little  charity  would  tell  you,  for  the  main,  he 
may  be  with  both;  and  so  much  uncharitableness 
makes  it  a  question  whether  he  be  with  either.  The 
more  such  men  pretend  to  the  knowledge  of  God,  the 
greater  their  shame. 

Friends,  beware  you  be  not  undone,  either  by 
your  ignorance  or  your  knowledge.  Love  not  dark- 
ness, and  eall  not  darkness  light ;  call  not  that  the 
knowledge  of  God  which  is  not ;  misuse  not  that 
which  is.  Hast  thou  no  knowledge  ?  "What,  and 
such  a  promise  before  thee?  "I  will  give  them  a 
heart  to  know  me,  they  shall  all  know  me."  What, 
and  such  a  gospel  before  thee,  the  work  whereof  is  to 
open  blind  eyes,  and  to  turn  from  darkness  to  light  ? 
Open  thy  mouth,  sinner,  and  God  will  open  thine 
eyes ;  "  Ask,  and  thou  shalt  have  ;  seek,  and  thou 
shalt  find ;"  see,  wink  not  at  the  light  that  shines 
round  about  thee ;  love  not  darkness,  if  thou  love  not 
death.  "  This  is  eternal  life,  to  know  thee."  What 
then  is  ignorance  ?  there  's  death  in  thy  heart,  if  there 
be  no  light  in  thine  eye. 

Hast  thou  knowledge  ?  be  thankful,  and  be  hum- 
ble ;  be  not  high-minded,  but  fear ;  prize  it,  but  do 
not  abuse  it.  Hast  thou  received  the  knowledge  of 
the  truth  ?  Live  under  the  power  of  the  truth  thou 
knowest ;  resign  up  thyself  to  it — to  its  transforming 
power  ;  give  it  leave  to  work,  and  to  change  thee  into 
its  own  image ;  let  this  new  light  make  thee  a  new 


118  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

man — to  its  governing  power ;  let  it  teach,  thee  and 
rule  thee  ;  let  it  teach  as  one  that  has  authority  ;  let 
it  rule  till  it  hath  put  all  thine  enemies  under  thy 
feet ;  till  every  thought,  every  imagination,  and  every 
high  thing  he  made  low,  and  brought  into  captivity  to 
Christ.  Let  not  the  light  of  the  Lord  help  thee  to  do 
the  devil's  work ;  let  it  not  he  fodder  for  thy  flesh, 
lest  it  be  fuel  for  thy  flames ;  let  it  not  repent  thy 
God  nor  thee,  that  ever  thou  hadst  such  a  talent  com- 
mitted to  thee ;  let  it  neither  be  loss  to  God,  nor  the 
eternal  loss  of  thine  own  soul.  He  that  hath  appeared 
on  earth  in  beams  of  light  will  be  revealed  from  heaven, 
in  flames  of  fire  rendering  vengeance  to  all  that  know 
God  but  obey  not  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Woe  to  those 
that  neither  know  nor  obey ;  but  Oh,  what  to  those 
that  obey  not,  though  they  know  ? 

Christian,  know  the  Lord,  but  know  and  fear ; 
know  and  serve,  know  and  honor  thy  God;  know  God, 
and  know  thyself,  thy  sin  and  thy  misery,  thy  dan- 
gers and  thy  temptations ;  know  and  mourn ;  know 
and  be  ashamed ;  know,  and  fear,  and  watch,  and 
fight,  and  overcome.  Know  God,  and  know  Ins  will, 
thy  duty  and  thy  way,  thy  privileges  and  opportuni- 
ties, thy  race  and  thy  crown.  Know,  and  do,  and  run, 
and  suffer,  and  wait,  and  hope,  and  rejoice  in  hope  of 
the  glory  of  God.  Know  God,  but  God  in  Christ,  God 
reconciled,  pardoning,  absolving,  accepting  through 
him.  Know,  and  believe,  accept,  adventure  upon, 
resign,  commit  thyself  to  him.  Know  thy  God,  and 
behold  him ;  look  upon  thy  God  in  his  power,  in  his 
wisdom,  in  his  holiness,  in  his  goodness,  in  his  loving- 


A  HEART  TO  KNOW  THE  LORD.       \l3 

kindness,  in  his  mercy.  Behold  him  in  his  word,  in 
his  works,  in  his  providence,  in  his  saints,  in  thy  soul, 
in  his  Son ;  set  him  before  thine  eyes,  look  upon  thy 
Grod,  and  never  leave  looking  till  thou  art  changed 
into  his  image  and  satisfied  with  his  likeness ;  and 
when  thou  art  brought  to  this,  then  he  hath  done  for 
thee  what  he  hath  said:  "I  will  give  them  a  heart 
to  know  me." 


129  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


ONE  HEART. 


"I  will  give  them  one  heart."     Ezek.  11 :  l'V 

We  read,  "  Ephraim  is  like  a  silly  dove,  without 
heart,"  Hos.  7 :  11 ;  he  hath  no  heart  at  all,  that  is, 
none  for  his  God,  as  good  as  none ;  and  in  Psa.  12  :  2, 
we  read  that  Israel  had  a  douhle  heart,  a  heart  and 
a  heart — more  hearts  than  one  ;  but  says  the  Lord,  I 
will  give  them  a  heart,  and  it  shall  be  but  one,  and 
iio  more. 

Not  to  dwell  on  the  signification  of  this  text  as  it 
respects  Christians  collectively,  let  us  consider  it  as  it 
respects  each  particular  Christian.  This  "  one  heart" 
may  be  taken  as  opposed  to  a  wavering,  a  divided, 
and  a  double  heart. 

It  is  opposed  to  a  wavering,  unstable  heart.  Jas. 
1:6,  8.  Wavering-minded  men  have  almost  as  many 
hearts  as  they  live  days,  or  meet  with  cases;  a  heart 
that  changes  with  the  weather,  and  tacks  about  with 
every  wind,  that  resolves  and  repents,  that  chooses 
and  changes,  that,  like  a  wave  of  the  sea,  is  tossed 
about  with  every  wind.  This  you  may  call  either 
many  hearts,  or  no  heart,  as  you  will.  But  the  be- 
liever's one  heart  is  a  fixed,  established,  resolved  heart: 
"  It  is  good  that  the  heart  be  established  with  grace." 
Heb.  13  :  9.     Grace  fixes,  establishes,  and  brings  to  a 


.     ONE  HEART.  121 

consistency  with  itself  the  heart  which  before  was  any- 
thing or  nothing. 

It  is  opposed  to  a  divided  heart,  Hos.  10  :  2  ;  a 
heart  cut  in  two  as  it  were ;  a  cloven  heart,  one  half 
for  God,  the  other  half  for  sin  ;  one  half  for  Christ,  the 
other  half  for  this  present  world  ;  God  having  a  corner 
in  it,  and  the  rest  for  sin  and  the  devil.  This  "  one 
heart "  is  an  entire  heart ;  all  the  powers  of  it  are 
united  within  itself,  and  go  the  same  way ;  God  hath 
the  whole  heart.  "  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul ;  and 
all  that  is  within  me,  bless  his  holy  name."  Psalm 
103  : 1.  All  its  springs  are  in  him,  and  thither  do  all 
its  streams  bend  their  course. 

It  is  opposed  to  a  double  heart  or  a  hypocritical 
heart,  properly  so  called,  Psa.  12  :  2,  3  ;  "a  heart  and 
a  heart,"  a  heart  in  the  breast  and  another  in  the 
tongue.  Our  outside  is  presumed  to  be  an  expression 
of  our  inside ;  what  we  speak,  we  pretend  to  be  in 
our  very  hearts.  It  is  the  very  heart  in  the  tongue 
that  speaks,  the  heart  in  the  eye  that  weeps,  the  heart 
in  the  hand  that  works,  the  heart  in  the  foot  that 
walks.  It  is  not  so  with  the  hypocrite ;  he  shows 
another  heart  in  his  tongue,  in  his  ways,  than  that 
which  is  within  him.  He  hath  a  heart,  and  a  heart; 
one  in  his  tongue  or  life,  and  quite  another  in  his 
breast.  His  course  speaks  him  another  man  than  he 
is.  Thus  "one  heart"  signifies  a  single  or  a  plain 
heart. 

To  sum  up  all  together,  this  one  heart  is  such  as 
fixes  upon  one  end ;  has  but  one  thing  to  do ;  and 
does  what  it  does. 

Jlonvrn  OppTiei,  ft 


122  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

I.  It  fixes  upon  one  end.  God  is  its  end.  There 
it  wholly  "bestows  itself:  "  I  am  thine."  Psa.  119  :  94. 
And  there  only  it  takes  up  its  rest.  "And  now, 
Lord,  what  wait  I  for  ?  my  hope  is  in  thee."  Psalm 
39 : 7.  God  is  both  its  work  and  its  wages.  To 
please  God,  this  is  its  whole  business ;  and  to  enjoy 
God,  this  is  its  happiness.  This  is  the  mark  it  hath 
in  its  eye,  this  is  the  scope  of  all  its  motions,  to  honor 
and  enjoy  God.  This  it  wills,  this  it  loves,  this  it 
desires,  designs,  hopes,  labors  for,  that  the  Lord  may 
possess,  and  be  the  possession  of  it.  Particularly,  it 
gives  God  both  the  place  and  the  power  of  its  chief 
end. 

1.  The  place  of  its  chief  end.  God  is  its  first  and 
last.  He  is  first  in  the  eye,  and  it  looks  no  further. 
It  makes  him  not  only  its  chief,  but  in  a  sense  its 
only  aim.  It  will  have  no  other  God,  and  therefore 
no  other  end  but  the  Lord.  It  makes  all  things  else 
not  only  to  stoop  and  stand  by,  but  to  serve  him.  Get 
you  hence,  stand  off,  is  its  language  to  all  that  stands 
up  in  his  room  or  stands  in  his  way.  Evil  men,  what- 
ever regard  they  pretend  to  have  for  the  Lord,  do  but 
make  him  a  servant  to  their  other  gods.  Religion  they 
will  take  up,  but  it  is  only  to  serve  their  own  turns, 
to  bring  about  their  carnal  ends  :  "  They  serve  not  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  but  their  own  bellies,"  saith  the 
apostle,  Rom.  16  :  18  ;  Phil.  3  :  19.  Nay,  they  make 
the  Lord  their  fellow-servant ;  they  serve,  and  their 
religion  must  serve  their  sensual  appetites.  He  that 
will  have  so  much  religion  only  as  he  may  live  upon, 
which  is  the  measure  of  most  men,  makes  the  Lord 


ONE  HEART.  123 

no  longer  his  God,  but  his  servant.  A  sincere  Chris- 
tian will  set  God  upon  the  throne,  and  make  all  things 
else  his  servants  or  his  footstool.  Whatever  will  not 
be  serviceable  must  be  trodden  in  the  dust.  Nothing 
will  be  loved  and  embraced  but  what  will  set  God 
higher,  or  bring  God  nearer  to  his  heart. 

2.  The  power  of  the  end.  The  end  hath  a  four- 
fold power  :  it  draws  ;  it  directs ;  it  governs :  and  it 
rewards. 

(1.)  It  draws  the  heart  to  it;  God,  who  is  a  Chris- 
tian's end,  is  also  his  beginning.  Our  first  step  heaven- 
ward we  owe  to  the  influence  of  heaven  upon  us : 
"  Draw  me,  we  will  run  after  thee."  Sol.  Song  1 : 4. 
"  No  man  can  come  unto  me,  unless  the  Father,  which 
hath  sent  me,  draw  him."  Nothing  but  God  will  so 
do  it  that  nothing  will  draw  the  soul  another  way. 
The  pleasures  of  sin,  the  wages  of  unrighteousness, 
are  poor  and  low  baits  to  entice  a  soul  away  from 
God,  that  is,  so  far  as  it  is  renewed  ;  so  it  is  nothing 
but  God  that  draws  the  soul  away  from  these  to  him, 
and  he  will  do  it.  God  draws  the  soul  not  by  an  act 
of  power  only,  but  by  the  proper  attractive  influence 
of  the  end.  Not  by  efficiency  only,  but  by  sym- 
pathy ;  as  by  the  water  the  thirsty  soul  is  drawn  to 
the  water-brooks. 

It  is  God  who  draws  hearts  after  him :  there  are 
instruments,  as  his  word  and  ministers ;  and  there 
are  arguments  by  which  God  draws ;  but  whatever 
the  instruments  or  arguments  are,  it  is  God  who  does 
it.  What  is  the  work  of  either  word  or  ministers,  but 
to  set  God  before  men?  and  this  draws.     Instruments 


124  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

can  do  nothing,  unless  God  be  the  preacher  by  them ; 
arguments  can  do  nothing  unless  he  be  in  and  with 
them :  as  it  was  said  concerning  the  people's  follow- 
ing Saul,  so  much  more  concerning  those  who  follow 
the  Lord,  those  only  follow  him  "whose  hearts  God 
hath  touched."  1  Samuel,  10 :  26.  It  is  not  man's 
touching,  but  God's  touching  the  heart,  that  draws  it 
heavenward.  The  tongue  of  man  may  touch  the  ear, 
it  is  G-od  only  that  touches  the  heart.  And  when  he 
touches,  then  the  heart  will  follow  ;  as  you  know  the 
needle  when  it  is  touched  with  a  loadstone,  then  turns 
after  it.  The  loadstone  is  not  more  naturally  attract- 
ive of  the  needle,  than  God  is  of  that  heart  which  he 
hath  touched.  "  My  beloved  put  in  his  hand  by  the 
hole  of  the  door,  and  my  bowels  were  moved  in  me." 
Sol.  Song  5  :  4.  He  did*  but  touch  the  door,  and  her 
heart  felt  him  and  moved  towards  him. 

0  Christians,  when  you  have  been  waiting  upon 
God  in  prayer,  hearing  the  gospel,  or  any  other  spir- 
itual duty  or  ordinance,  consider,  "  Hath  my  heart 
been  touched  this  day  ?  My  tongue  has  been  touched, 
mine  ear  has  been  touched,  my  heart  has  been  treated 
with ;  but  has  the  Lord  touched  it  ?  Has  there  virtue 
come  forth  from  him,  which  has  enticed  and  drawn 
my  soul  after  him  ?"  Sometimes  by  a  message  or 
visit  from  heaven,  the  Lord  has  drawn  a  good  word 
from  the  lip,  a  tear  from  the  eye ;  but  0,  for  touches 
upon  souls,  for  the  flowing  out  of  hearts  after  the 
Lord,  he  is  the  only  loadstone  that  prevails  on  gra- 
cious souls. 

Others  who  have  many  hearts,  have  many  at- 


ONE  HEART.  125 

tractives ;  every  heart  has  its  peculiar  god  ;  twenty- 
gods,  it  may  be,  in  one  man,  because  so  many  hearts. 
Their  pleasures  are  their  gods,  their  profits  their  gods, 
their  belly  their  god ;  their  wives  or  their  children 
their  gods ;  and  so  many  gods,  so  many  ends.  And 
every  end  is  a  loadstone  to  draw  them  after  it.  Every 
heart  will  go  after  its  god.  A  Christian  that  has  but 
one  heart,  has  but  one  God,  and  this  is  he  that  draws 
it  on  its  way.  Thou  sayest  the  Lord  is  thy  God,  thou 
acknowledges!:,  thou  ownest,  thou  hast  chosen  him  for 
thine  ;  but  what  does  thy  God,  whom  thou  hast  cho- 
sen, do  upon  thy  heart?  What  will  the  sight  of  God, 
or  thy  love  to  God,  or  thy  hope  in  God,  do  upon  thee? 
How  far  will  it  carry  thee  ?  Which  way  runs  thy  heart  ? 
Which  way  dost  thou  bend  thy  course  ?  Dost  thou  feel 
thy  God  drawing  thee,  and  is  thy  heart  running  after 
him  ?  Running  denotes  motion,  and  a  swift  or  violent 
motion. 

The  Scripture  uses  divers  expressions  to  note  the 
running  of  those  hearts  after  God  whom  he  has 
drawn. 

The  desiring-  of  the  soul  after  God.  "  The  desire 
of  our  soul  is  to  thy  name.  With  my  soul  have  I 
desired  thee  in  the  night;  yea,  with  my  spirit  within 
me  will  I  seek  thee  early."  Isa.  26:8,  9.  Desiiv  is 
the  soul  in  motion  God- wards.  Towards  him  are  their 
desires,  and  they  come  from  the  bottom  of  the  heart. 
"With  my  soul  have  I  desired  thee,  with  my  spirit 
within  me  will  I  seek  thee."  "Lord,  all  my  desire  is 
before  thee."  Psalm  38  :  9.  It  is  not,  all  my  desires, 
but  "my  desire ;"  thou  seest  all,  and  it  is  all  but  one 


126  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

desire.  He  desires  pardon,  he  desires  peace,  he  de- 
sires help,  and  the  healing  of  his  wounds  ;  but  all  this 
is  but  one  desire,  (rod  is  all.  "One  thing  have  I 
desired."    Psalm  27  :  4. 

The  thirsting  of  the  soul.  "My  soul  thirsteth 
for  G-od,  for  the  living  God."  Psalm  42  : 2.  Thirst- 
ing is  the  extremity  of  desire ;  hunger  and  thirst  are 
the  appetite  of  desire  heightened — violent  and  painful 
appetites :  my  soul  thirsteth,  and  is  in  pain  till  it  be 
satisfied. 

The  longing  of  the  soul.  "0  God,  thou  art  my 
God  ;  early  will  I  seek  thee  :  my  flesh  longeth  for  thee 
in  a  dry  and  thirsty  land,  where  no  water  is."  Psalm 
63 : 1.  Longing  causeth  languishing  and  pain,  if  it 
be  not  satisfied.  "My  soul  breaketh  for  the  longing 
that  it  hath  unto  thy  judgments."  Psalm  119  :  20. 
"My  heart  panteth,  my  strength  faileth ;  as  for  the  light 
of  mine  eyes,  it  also  is  gone  from  me."    Psa.  38  :  10. 

Calling  after  God.  "Hear  me  when  I  call,  0 
God  of  my  righteousness."  Psa.  4  : 1.  Calling  upon 
God,  is  the  voice  of  desire.  The  desiring  soul  will 
not  keep  silence ;  the  tongue,  the  eyes,  the  ears,  the 
hands,  the  knees,  must  all  be  orators,  when  the  flame 
is  once  kindled  within. 

Crying  after  the  Lord.  This  is  an  expression 
answering  the  thirsting  of  the  soul.  Crying  is  a  pas- 
sionate and  importunate  praying.  "I  cried  with  my 
whole  heart;  hear  me,  0  Lord."    Psalm  119  :  145. 

Crying  out  after  God.  This  is  the  manner  of  the 
longing  soul.  Crying  out  denotes  more  than  bare 
crying — loud  cries,  strong  cries,  forced  out  by  a  par- 


ONE  HEART.  127 

oxysm  of  love,  or  an  agony  the  soul  is  in  :  "  My  soul 
longeth,  yea,  even  fainteth  for  the  courts  of  the  Lord ; 
my  heart  and  my  flesh  crieth  out  for  the  living  God." 
Psalm  84 : 2. 

Fqllowing  hard  after  the  Lord.  "My  soul  fol- 
loweth  hard  after  thee."  Psalm  63  :  8.  This  expres- 
sion is  more  comprehensive ;  it  denotes  both  all  the 
workings  and  breakings  and  breathings  of  the  soul 
within,  and  its  diligent  use  of  all  outward  means,  and 
pressing  on  after  the  Lord ;  all  those  laborings  and 
watchings  and  runnings,  all  that  holy  violence,  where- 
with a  saint  presses  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 

Put  all  this  together,  and  you  will  see  the  power 
and  influence  the  Lord  hath  on  holy  souls,  to  draw 
them  after  him ;  they  are  in  motion  heavenward,  de- 
siring, thirsting,  longing,  calling,  crying,  crying  out, 
following  hard  after  him.  "What  aileth  these  souls ; 
what  is  the  matter  with  them ;  what  would  they  have  ? 
"What  aileth  thee?"  said  the  Danites  once  to  Micah, 
"  that  thou  comest  thus  after  us  ?"  What  aileth  thee  ? 
Why,  you  have  taken  away  my  gods,  and  "what  have 
I  more?"  Judges  18  :  23.  What  aileth  these  crying, 
longing,  running  souls  ?  Why,  it  is  after  their  God 
they  cry,  it  is  after  their  God  they  run.  Go  back, 
Elisha,  said  once  the  prophet  to  him,  when  he  had 
cast  his  mantle  on  him:  "Go  back  again;  for  what 
have  I  done  to  thee?"  1  Kings,  19  :  20.  What  hast 
thou  done  ?  Enough  to  hold  me  from  going  back. 
There  went  virtue  with  the  mantle ;  the  mantle  fell 
on  his  heart  as  well  as  his  back,  and  drew  it  after  the 
prophet.     Should  you  say  thus  to  the  believer,  Go 


128  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

back,  soul,  go  back  from  following  thy  God;  for  what 
hath  he  done  unto  thee?  0,  he  hath  gotten  my 
heart,  he  replies ;  no,  no,  I  cannot  go  back,  he  is  my 
God,  and  what  have  I  more  ? 

(2.)  The  end  guides  and  directs  to  means.  "Whith- 
er shall  I  go  from  thee?  thou  hast  the  words  of  eter- 
nal life." 

(3.)  The  end  governs.  I  shall  put  both  these  to- 
gether. What  is  it  that  governs  sinners  but  their  ulti- 
mate end  ?  this  points  them  out  their  work,  and  their 
way ;  this  holds  them  t©  their  work,  and  keeps  them  in 
their  way :  whatever  fetters  and  chains  their  lusts  are 
to  them,  it  is  their  carnal  ends  to  which  they  are  in 
bondage.  These  are  they  that  lord  it  over  them,  and 
therefore  it  is  impossible  to  persuade  a  sinner  to  make 
a  thorough  change  of  his  way,  till  he  hath  changed 
his  ends.  Herein  consists  the  conversion  of  a  sinner, 
in  the  changing  of  his  ends.  When  he  ceases  to  be 
any  longer  to  himself,  to  his  flesh,  to  the  world,  and 
for  a  worldly  happiness,  and  is  brought  about  to  fix 
upon  God  as  his  portion  and  happiness,  to  whom  he 
devotes  and  dedicates  himself,  there  is  conversion. 
Sin  is  our  turning  away,  and  conversion  is  turning 
back  to  our  God.  Beloved,  consider  not  barely  how, 
but  to  what  you  live ;  not  only  what  you  do,  but 
what  you  would  have ;  and  never  count  yourselves 
truly  godly,  whatever  of  God  be  in  your  way,  till  God 
be  in  your*  heart  and  eye.  He  that  has  first  chosen 
God,  and  therefore  a  godly  life,  whose  godliness  of  life 
springs  forth  as  the  fruit  of  his  choice  of  the  Lord, 
that  is  a  godly  man. 


ONE   HEART.  129 

God  governs  as  our  king,  and  as  our  end ;  as  our 
king,  by  his  sovereignty ;  as  our  end,  by  his  excellence, 
worthiness,  and  goodness :  as  our  king,  by  laws ;  as 
our  end,  by  love.  Love  will  find  out  our  way,  will 
tell  all  our  wanderings,  will  check  us  for  our  sins. 
sweeten  our  labors,  quicken  us  on  our  course,  cut  our 
way  through  dangers  and  difficulties,  and  keep  us  in 
our  way  till  we  come  to  the  fruition  of  our  end. 
Therefore  it  is  said  by  the  apostle,  "The  law  is  not 
made  for  a  righteous  man."  1  Tim.  1 :  9.  Love  will 
save  the  law  a  labor.  "The  law  is  not  made  for  a 
righteous  man;"  not  so  much,  at  least,  as  for  sinners; 
not  as  to  the  coercion  of  it,  though  still  as  to  its  obli- 
gation :  the  constraint  of  love  will  much  supersede  the 
coercion  of  laws. 

(4.)  The  end  rewards.  "  They  have  their  reward," 
Matt.  6 ;  that  is,  they  have  their  end.  The  reputa- 
tion o£  being  devout  and  charitable  men  was  the  end 
of  their  devotion  and  charity:  they  prayed,  and  fasted, 
and  gave  alms  for  no  other  end ;  and  the  obtaining 
that  reputation  was  their  reward.  "Verily  I  say  unto 
you,  They  have  their  reward." 

God  is  the  reward  of  his  saints :  "I  am  thy  ex- 
ceeding great  reward."  Gen.  15  : 1.  "  My  judgment 
is  with  the  Lord,  and  my  reward  with  my  God."  Isa. 
49  : 4.  God  is  the  reward  they  shall  receive,  and  the 
reward  they  look  to  receive.  Moses  "had  respect  unto 
the  recompense  of  the  reward."     Heb.  11 :  26. 

And  therefore  the  argument  was  weighty  which 
Christ  used  to  dissuade  his  disciples  from  being  in 
their  devotions  and  alms-deeds  as  the  Pharisees  and 


130  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

hypocrites  were,  who  disfigured  their  countenances  in 
their  fasts,  and  sounded  a  trumpet  to  proclaim  their 
alms :  "Be  ye  not  like  them,  for  they  have  their 
reward."  The  argument  was  strong  to  the  disciples, 
who  being  men  of  another  spirit,  could  not  be  satis- 
fied with  such  a  reward. 

In  these  two  things  saints  greatly  differ  from  the 
men  of  this  world.  They  are  not  willing  to  defer 
their  duties  till  hereafter ;  and  they  dread  to  have 
their  reward  here :  they  would  dispatch  their  work, 
and  are  willing  to  go  upon  trust  for  their  wages.  Sin- 
ners would  have  their  wages  in  hand,  and  be  trusted 
for  their  work  till  hereafter ;  they  would  be  happy 
here,  a"nd  can  be  content  to  stay  for  holiness  till  here- 
after :  "  It  is  soon  enough  to  be  saints  in  heaven." 
But  Oh,  it  would  be  a  dreadful  word  to  saints, 
"Here  are  thy  good  things,  take  them,  these  are  thy 
reward."  These  are  not  their  end,  and  therefore  they 
cannot  take  them  for  their  reward. 

Poor  foolish  worldlings,  how  are  you  disjointed ; 
how  are  your  weary  hearts  scattered  through  the 
ends  of  the  earth ;  how  many  masters  do  you  serve ; 
how  many  matters  have  you  to  mind :  you  weary 
yourselves  in  the  greatness  of  your  way,  and  what 
is  your  reward?  What  the  fields  can  give,  you 
have ;  what  your  sheep  or  your  oxen  can  give,  you 
have ;  what  your  beds,  or  your  tables,  or  your 
houses,  or  your  clothes  can  give,  you  have ;  here  a 
little  and  there  a  little :  your  beds  give  you  ease, 
your  houses  shelter,  your  sports  and  companions 
pleasure,  your  parasites  honor,  and  the  little  you  can 


ONE   HEART.  131 

pick  up  here  and  there,  this  is  your  reward.  Verily 
I  say  unto  you,  you  have  your  reward :  unhappy  souls, 
you  are  troubled  and  careful  about  many  things  for 
nothing  ;  one  thing  is  needful ;  and  if  yet  ye  will  be 
wise,  choose  that  good  part  which  shall  not  be  taken 
from  you. 

II.  This  one  heart  hath  but  one  thing  to  do.  "  This 
one  thing  I  do."  Phil.  3 :  13.  There  are  all  things 
in  that  one  thing ;  all  things  needful.  How  many 
things  soever  his  hand  findeth  to  do,  all  is  but  one. 
He  intends  in  all,  God.  A  renewed  heart  designs 
God,  and  is  making  God- wards  in  all  he  docs.  What- 
ever journey  he  goes,  God  is  his  home ;  whatever 
race  he  runs,  God  is  his  mark  and  prize ;  whatever 
battle  he  fights  against  flesh  and  blood,  against  prin- 
cipalities and  powers,  it  is  that  he  may  cut  his  way 
through  all  to  his  God  :  whatever  he  does,  he  does  for 
God  ;  whatever  he  suffers,  he  suffers  for  God.  When 
he  hears,  or  fasts,  or  prays,  it  is  all  for  God.  When 
ye  fasted,  did  ye  at  all  fast  to  me  ?  "  Yes,  to  thee," 
a  Christian  is  able  to  say:  he  hath  many  things  to 
pray  for  and  fast  for ;  he  hath  bread,  and  clothes,  and 
friends,  and  health,  and  safety,  and  liberty  to  pray  for; 
but  in  all,  he  prays  for  God :  he  entitles  God  to  all 
he  has  and  marks  it  for  him,  and  he  sees  and  enjoys 
God  in  all  he  has.  He  will  not  own  that  for  a  mercy 
which  has  not  God  in  it,  and  which  is  not  a  foot  or  wins 
to  carry  him  on  towards  him.  And  therefore  what- 
ever he  begs  for  himself,  it  is  that  he  may  have  it  for 
God.  What  he  gives,  he  gives  to  God ;  whom  he  for- 
gives, it  is  for  the  Lord's  sake ;  whether  he  eats,  or 


132  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

drinks,  or  works,  or  buys,  or  sells,  or  whatever  else  he 
does,  he  does  it  all  to  the  glory  of  God.  1  Cor.  10  :  31. 
For  him  he  prays,  for  him  he  waits,  for  him  he  labors, 
for  him  he  suffers,  for  him  he  lives,  to  him  he  dies. 
"  To  me  to  live  is  Christ."  Phil.  1 :  21.  "  According 
to  my  earnest  expectation  and  my  hope,  that  in  noth- 
ing I  shall  be  ashamed,  but  that  with  all  boldness,  as 
always,  so  now  also  Christ  may  be  magnified  in  my 
body,  whether  it  be  by  life  or  by  death."  This  is  the 
one  thing  he  intends,  this  is  the  one  thing  he  seeks  in 
all,  take  his  whole  course  together ;  he  can  say  with  the 
apostle,  "  This  one  thing  I  do,  forgetting  those  things 
which  are  behind,  and  reaching  forth  unto  those  things 
which  are  before,  I  press  towards  the  mark  for  the 
prize  of  the  high  calling  of  Grod  in  Christ  Jesus." 

III.  This  one  heart  does  avhat  it  does  ;  and  that 
not  feignedly,  but  really — not  faintly,  but  heartily. 

1.  Really.  It  pursues  this  end  in  a  plain  and 
honest  way.  He  that  has  this  one  heart,  has  but 
one  way.  Heart  and  life  go  hand  in  hand;  he  makes 
straight  steps  for  his  heart,  and  his  heart  makes 
straight  steps  for  his  feet.  As  he  looks  straight  on,  so 
he  walks  straight  on  to  his  mark.  He  does  riot  look 
one  way  and  row  another.  He  is  like  Jacob,  a  plain 
man,  a  plain-dealing  man ;  a  Nathanael,  in  whom  is 
no  guile  ;  he  turns  his  inside  outward ;  his  life  is  not 
a  cloak,  but  a  commentary  on  his  heart,  the  expositor 
of  his  inward  man.  His  end  is  in  his  heart,  and  his 
heart  is  in  his  face,  in  his  tongue,  in  his  duties,  and 
all  his  ways.  He  is  no  politic  dealer  in  fleshly  wis- 
dom, 2  Cor.  1 :  12 ;  his  religion  is  not  a  blind  or  a 


ONE  HEART.  133 

device  to  delude  the  simple  ;  he  is  downright  and  in 
earnest  in  all  he  does.  He  does  the  same  thing  he 
seems  to  do  ;  his  praying  is  praying  indeed  ;  his  fast- 
ing and  alms  are  such  indeed  ;  his  very  profession  is 
practice ;  he  would  not  believe,  nor  make  others  be- 
lieve, but  that  he  is  what  he  is.  He  seeks  not  com- 
mendation from  men,  but  approbation  with  God.  His 
design  is  not  inordinately  to  commend  himself  to  the 
good  opinion  of  others,  though  he  would  be  made 
manifest  in  their  consciences.  He  would  not  be  a  lie 
or  a  cheat.  He  abhors  all  lying,  but  most  of  all  a 
religious  lie.  He  would  not  lie  for  God,  much  less 
against  him  ;  such  a  lie  is  as  blasphemy  to  him.  He 
loves  not  images  ;  he  would  have  a  soul  in  all  his  prac- 
tices. A  prayer  without  a  soul,  a  saerifiee  without  a 
heart,  a  religious  carcass,  is  an  abomination  to  him. 
He  would  not  make  such  a  noble  medium  as  religion 
serve  so  base  an  end  as  the  serving  of  the  flesh. 

He  has  other  work  to  do  than  to  serve  times  or 
tables,  to  please  himself  or  men,  to  serve  wills,  or  hu- 
mors, or  lusts  ;  he  has  a  soul,  a  conscience,  a  God  to 
look  after ;  he  has  but  one  business  to  do,  but  one  Mas- 
ter to  serve.  If  he  be  a  magistrate,  he  rules  for  God ; 
if  he  be  a  minister,  he  preaches  for  God  ;  if  he  be  a 
parent,  he  educates  for  God;  if  he  be  a  master,  he 
governs  for  God  ;  to  him  he  dedicates  himself  and  his 
house  ;  he  writes  on  his  doors,  This  is  Bethel,  this  is 
none  other  but  the  house  of  God.  If  he  be  a  child  or 
a  servant,  he  obeys  in  the  Lord  and  for  the  Lord.  He 
knows  he  has  to  do  with  God  in  all  he  does :  when  he 
is  dealing  with  men,  with  his  friends,  with  his  family, 


134  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

in  his  calling,  in  his  recreations,  in  all  his  doings,  he 
has  to  do  with  God ;  and  he  can  take  comfort  in  noth- 
ing but  what  God  will  take  pleasure  in.  "  Thou  hast 
no  pleasure  in  iniquity.  Thou  lovest  truth  in  the 
inward  parts."  And  there  is  no  truth  in  the  inward 
parts,  but  when  there  is  truth  also  in  the  outward 
parts,  when  the  heart  and  tongue  and  ways  agree. 
It  is  in  vain  to  say,  "  My  heart  is  good,"  when  the 
ways  are  evil.  A  false  tongue,  deceitful  ways,  will 
give  the  lie  to  the  heart.  He  cannot  subsist  longer 
than  he  hath  smiles  from  heaven.  Communion  with 
God  is  his  life,  his  all  is  in  God.  His  heart  dies  when 
that  fountain  is  stopped.  If  he  cannot  have  clearness 
and  boldness  in  the  presence  of  God,  he  can  no  longer 
look  himself  in  the  face,  but  blushes  and  hangs  his 
head  with  shame.  He  values  neither  the  applause 
nor  the  scorn  of  men,  so  that  he  may  have  a  wit- 
ness of  his  acceptance  with  God.  0  Lord,  dost  thou 
regard,  wilt  thou  accept  of  me  ?  It  is  enough.  Let 
all  the  world  call  me,  "  Thou  fool,  thou  Pharisee, 
thou  hypocrite,"  if  the  Lord  will  say,  "My  child,"  it 
is  well.  "It  is  falsely  spoken,  it  is  foolishly,  it  is 
weakly  done ;  it  is  pride,  it  is  singularity,  it  is  scrupu- 
losity:" thus  the  world  cry.  Let  them  alone,  0  my 
soul,  I  will  hearken  what  the  Lord  God,  what  con- 
science will  say:  if  he  says,  "  Thou  hast  been  faith- 
ful," if  conscience  says,  "Well  done,"  let  all  else  say 
what  they  please  ;  this  is  my  rejoicing,  my  only  rejoic- 
ing, the  testimony  of  my  conscience  that  in  simplicity 
and  godly  sincerity,  not  in  fleshly  wisdom,  but  by  the 
grace  of  God,  I  had  my  conversation  in  the  world. 


ONE  HEART.  135 

2.  Heartily.  Whatever  he  does  for  God,  he  does 
it  with  a  good  will.  He  hath  cast  all  his  business 
into  one,  and  he  is  intent  upon  it.  He  works  right- 
eousness, as  sinners  work  wickedness,  "  with  both 
hands  earnestly."  Micah  7  : 3.  He  is  religious  in 
good  earnest,  he  prays  in  good  earnest,  he  hears  in 
good  earnest,  he  runs  in  good  earnest :  the  powers  of 
his  soul  being  all  united  in  one  channel,  run  more 
strongly;  his  many  springs  falling  all  into  one  stream, 
make  a  river  that  bears  down  all  before  it.  The 
psalmist  prays,  <;  Unite  my  heart  to  fear  thy  name." 
Psa.  86: 11.  Unite  my  heart  to  thee,  and  unite  my 
heart  in  itself,  that  it  may  all  run  towards  thee.  Unite 
my  heart  to  fear,  and  so  unite  my  heart  to  love  thy 
name  ;  unite  my  heart  to  serve  and  follow  and  live  to 
thee.  As  if  he  had  said,  "  0  my  God,  my  heart  is 
divided  and  discomposed,  scattered  up  and  down  I 
know  not  where ;  my  pleasures  have  a  part,  my  estate 
has  a  part,  my  friends  have  a  part,  my  family  has  a 
part,  there  is  little  or  none  left  for  God.  I  have  too 
many  tilings  to  fear,  too  many  things  to  love  and  care 
for,  too  many  things  to  serve  and  follow,  to  follow  the 
Lord  with  any  strength  or  intention  of  mind.  Call  in 
all,  Lord,  all  my  parts,  all  my  powers ;  command  their 
joint  and  united  attendance  upon  thee."  "Gird  up 
the  loins  of  your  mind,  be  sober,  and  hope  to  the  end," 
in  the  original,  hope  perfectly,  "  for  the  grace  that 
is  to  be  brought  unto  you  at  the  revelation  of  Jesus 
Christ :  as  obedient  children,  not  fashioning  your- 
selves according  to  the  former  lusts  in  your  ignorance  ; 
but  as  he  which  hath  called  you  is-  holy,  so  be  ye  holy 


13(i  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

in  all  manner  of  conversation."  1  Peter,  1 :  13-15. 
Grird  up  the  loins  of  your  minds.  Grird  and  be  sober, 
gird  and  hope  perfectly,  gird  and  be  obedient,  gird  and 
be  holy.  Here  it  is  true,  ungirt  and  unblest,  ungirt 
and  unholy  ;  the  girding  is  the  gathering  in  the 
strength  of  the  heart  to  its  work.  "  Stand,  therefore, 
having  your  loins  girt."  Eph.  6  :  14.  Stand,  do  not 
gird  and  ungird,  stand  always  girt ;  call  in  your 
hearts  and  hold  them  in;  be  always  in  a  readiness 
to  every  duty,  in  a  readiness  against  every  tempta- 
tion. 

Oh,  how  loose  are  we.  "What  loose  praying,  and 
loose  hearing,  and  loose  meditation,  and  loose  walk- 
ings do  we  satisfy  ourselves  with.  Our  hearts  are  to 
seek,  our  thoughts  and  affections  are  gadding  abroad, 
we  know  not  where  to  find  them,  and  our  work  is  not 
done.  We  excuse  our  non-proficiency  in  religion  by 
our  many  hinderances,  by  the  difficulties  of  our  work; 
but  the  great  hinderance  lies  here,  our  loins  are  un- 
girded,  our  hearts  are  not  united  in  our  work  nor  in- 
tent upon  it.  "When  Gfod  and  the  things  of  eternity 
get  so  deep  into  the  heart ;  when  there  is  such  a  deep 
sense  of  the  weight  and  importance  of  the  things  that 
are  eternal  abiding  upon  us,  as  overpowers  carnal 
objects  and  loosens  the  heart  from  them ;  when  we 
feel  the  evidence  and  the  consequence  of  these  things 
commanding  our  whole  souls  after  them,  then  there  is 
religion  in  earnest ;  then  we  go  on  and  prosper.  And 
thus  it  is  with  this  "  one  heart ;"  there  are  not  some 
light  touches  only  upon  it,  Grod  is  deep  in  it,  eternity 
is  deep  in  it.     This  is  all,  it  says,  this  is  all  I  have  to 


ONE  HEART.  137 

mind  or  do.  My  hope,  my  comforts,  my  life,  my  soul, 
all  hang  upon  this  one  thing ;  if  I  speed  well  here,  I 
am  made  for  ever.  What  have  I  to  do  in  the  way  of 
Egypt,  or  to  drink  of  the  waters  of  Sihor  ;  what  have 
I  to  do  in  the  way  of  Assyria  ;  what  have  I  to  do  in  the 
way  of  pleasure  ;  what  have  I  to  do  in  the  way  of  the 
world  ?  To  huild  tahernacles  for  myself  here  helow,  or 
to  drink  the  waters  of  my  broken  cisterns  ?  How  little 
am  I  concerned  in  the  interest  of  this  flesh.  What  mat- 
ters it  what  becomes  of  it,  or  which  way  it  goes  ?  My 
Grod,  my  Grod,  my  soul,  my  soul,  there  lies  my  con- 
cern ;  of  these  let  my  only  care  be.  Get  thee  behind 
me,  Satan;  hold  thy  peace,  sinful  flesh;  beep  silence, 
worldly  cares ;  hinder  me  not,  speak  no  more  to  me 
of  hearkening  to  you,  away  from  me,  ye  evil-doers. 
I  will  keep  the  commandments  of  my  Grod.  Let 
others  do  what  they  will,  run  whither  they  please, 
choose  whom  they  will  serve,  what  they  will  follow 
after ;  come,  my  soul,  follow  thou  the  Lord,  gird  up 
thy  loins  and  come  away  ;  for  the  other  world,  for  the 
other  world  ;  make  haste,  linger  not ;  let  others  loiter 
as  they  will,  escape  for  thy  life,  lool^  not  behind  thee, 
get  thee  up  to  the  mountain  and  live. 

Objection.  One  heart !  why,  it  is  evermore  two  ; 
two  men,  a  new  man  and  an  old ;  two  nations,  two 
selfs  ;  there  are  twins  in  the  womb  of  every  saint ;  the 
ungodly  seem  more  one  than  they,  all  for  sin  and  for 
hell ;  all  dark,  all  hard,  all  but  one  stone. 

Answer.  Yet  it  is  true,  the  saints,  and  they  only, 
have  this  one  heart ;  for  the  old  heart  that  cleaves  to 
them  is  not  the  heart,  the  old  self  is  not  the  self ;  tins 


1LJ8  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

old  man  is  not  the  man,  this  is  not  he :  that  is  the 
heart  which  has  got  the  dominion  and  the  rule  in  the 
man.  The  new  heart  has  the  dominion  ;  though  sin, 
as  Esau,  be  the  first-born,  yet  the  elder  must  now 
serve  the  younger ;  the  old  man  is  but  a  dead  man. 
Col.  3:3.  "  Ye  are  dead,"  that  is,  your  old  man  is 
dead,  your  sin  is  slain  and  crucified  with  Christ,  and 
when  it  is  dead,  you  may  say  it  exists  not. 

The  meaning  plainly  is,  I  will  give  them  one 
heart;  that  is,  a  single,  sincere,  upright  heart;  they 
shall  be  no  longer  a  hypocritical  people.  If  there  be 
something  of  hypocrisy  in  them,  yet  hypocrites  they 
shall  no  longer  be  ;  their  hearts  shall  be  upright  be- 
fore me.  Sincerity  consists  in  choosing,  and  giving 
up  our  hearts  to  God,  as  our  chief  good  and  final  end. 
When  Grod  is  our  all,  there  is  perfection ;  and  when 
God  is  our  chief,  there  is  sincerity.  I  say,  when  God 
is  our  all,  when  the  world  has  nothing  left  in  us  to 
entice  or  draw  out  our  souls  after  it,  but  God  carries 
them  wholly,  without  any  liking  or  lusting  after  sin- 
ful objects,  there  is  perfection.  This  is  not  attainable 
here  ;  the  heart  cannot  be  thus  perfectly  one,  till  cor- 
ruption hath  put  on  incorruption.  But  though  it  be 
not  perfectly  one,  it  may  be  sincerely  one ;  and  it  is 
so,  when,  however  the  flesh  has  too  great  an  interest 
in  it  and  influence  upon  it,  and  often  pulls  it  aside 
and  puts  it  back,  yet  it  still  bends  its  course  heaven- 
wards. And  the  way  the  stream  and  strength  of  the 
soul  is  running,  the  flesh  will  be  putting  in  for  a  part — 
it  would  have  all,  it  would  not  take  its  turns  with 
God.     God  will  not  take  his  turns  with  the  flesh ;  he 


ONE   HEART.  139 

will  have  all,  or  none.  And  the  flesh  would  not  take 
its  turns  with  him ;  it  is  not  contented  with  now  and 
then,  it  would  not  be  served  in  the  fields,  or  in  the 
shop,  or  at  the  table,  or  in  the  bed  only,  but  in  the 
church,  in  the  chamber,  in  the  closet ;  it  would  carry- 
away  all  from  God  :  but  if  it  cannot  have  all,  it  will 
divide  with  God;  wherever  God  is  served,  the  flesh 
will  be  putting  in  for  its  share.  The  best  of  Chris- 
tians feel  too  great  a  truth  in  this ;  their  frequent 
humblings,  and  mournings,  and  breakings,  and  self- 
shamings  before  the  Lord,  are  mostly  upon  this  ac- 
count. This  is  the  voice  of  their  deepest  groanings 
and  bitterest  tears,  the  burden  of  their  most  mournful 
groans:  "I  cannot  do  the  things  that  I  would:  when 
1  would  do  good,  evil  is  present  with  me ;  with  my 
mind  I  serve  the  law  of  God,  but  with  my  flesh  the 
law  of  sin.  Woe  is  me,  my  soul,  how  am  I  strait- 
ened, how  am  I  divided !  Whither  am  I  hurried  ? 
Wherewithal  do  I  come  before  the  Lord  ?  Oh,  with 
what  halting  and  heartless  and  distracted  duties  do  I 
serve  my  God.  This  'flesh'  eats  up  the  fat,  and  the 
best ;  and  only  the  lame  and  the  lean  and  the  sick  are 
left  for  a  sacrifice  to  the  Lord.  Woe  is  me,  my 
leanness,  my  leanness !  my  God,  my  God,  how  art 
thou  served  ;  how  art  thou  robbed  of  thy  due  !  These 
strangers  are  gotten  into  thy  sanctuary,  and  eat  up 
all  thy  pleasant  tilings ;  and  what  have  they  left  for 
thee?" 

Such  are  their  complaints;  and  their  very  com- 
plaints are  their  comfort  and  the  witness  of  their 
sincerity,  while  they  can  with  openness  of  heart  make 


140  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

their  approach  and  appeal  to  G-od  :  "  Yet  thou  art  my 
Lord,  thou  art  my  Grod,  and  I  will  serve  thee.  I  have 
chosen  thee  as  my  heritage  for  ever,  and  I  will  wait 
for  thy  salvation.  Hear  the  sighing  of  thy  prisoner, 
deliver  thy  captive :  my  heart  is  with  thee ;  let  not 
this  flesh  entrench  upon  thy  right,  let  sin  no  longer 
reign  in  my  mortal  hody;  let  me  have  no  more  to  do 
with  the  throne  of  iniquity,  untie  the  cords,  loose  the 
fetters,  bring  my  soul  out  of  prison.  Search  me,  0 
Lord,  and  know  my  heart;  prove  me,  and  know  my 
thoughts.  Is  there  any  way  of  wickedness  in  me  ? 
Do  I  willingly  go  after  sin's  commandments  ?  Do  I 
regard  iniquity  in  my  heart  ?  Here  it  lies,  it  is  true; 
it  wars,  and  raises  tumults  and  insurrections  against 
thee  ;  but  do  I  resign  up  myself  to  it  ?  Is  it  a  pleas- 
ure to  me  ?  Am  I  at  peace  with  it  ?  0  Lord,  thou 
knowest.  I  cannot  get  rid  of  it,  I  cannot  do  the  things 
that  I  would,  I  cannot  pray  as  I  would,  nor  hear  as  I 
would,  nor  think,  nor  speak,  nor  live  as  I  would : 
whither  I  go,  sin  goes  with  me ;  where  I  lodge,  it 
lodges-;  if  I  sit  still,  it  abides  with  me  ;  if  I  run  from 
it,  it  follows  me ;  I  can  neither  rest  nor  work,  I  can 
do  nothing,  so  sorely  does  it  beset  me ;  and  yet, 
blessed  be  thy  name,  this  one  thing  I  do — what  I  can- 
not attain,  I  follow  after ;  I  cannot  conquer,  yet  I 
fight  against  it ;  I  wrestle  with  it,  though  it  so  often 
give  me  the  fall.  I  trust  it  not,  though  it  flatter  me ; 
I  love  it  not,  though  it  feed  me :  my  heart  is  with 
thee,  Lord,  my  foot  is  making  after  thee ;  I  groan,  I 
travail  in  pain,  waiting  for  thy  redemption :  till  I  die, 
I  will  not  give  over.     I  will  die  fighting,  I  will  die 


ONE  HEART.  141 

hoping,  I  will  die  praying.  Save  me,  0  Lord ;  make 
no  long  tarrying,  0  my  God." 

And  thus  you  have  the  description  of  this  "one 
heart."  It  fixes  upon  one  end,  and  God  is  that  end. 
It  gives  him  the  place  of  the  end  ;  he  is  its  first  and 
last.  It  gives  him  the  power  of  the  end :  this  one 
thing,  the  obtaining  of  God  to  he  theirs,  draws  them 
on,  guides,  governs  them  in  their  whole  course,  and 
is  accepted  by  them  as  their  only  and  exceeding  great 
reward.  This  instructs  them,  this  rules  and  encour- 
ages them,  calls  them  off  from  sin,  calls  them  on  to 
duty,  carries  them  out  in  suffering ;  all  their  powers 
are  united  in  this  one  business,  all  their  arguments 
are  resolved  into  this  one  argument,  all  their  rewards 
are  summed  up  in  this  one  reward:  "God  shall  be 
glorified,  and  therein  my  soul  shall  be  satisfied ;  God 
shall  be  mine,  and  glory  shall  be  his." 

In  all  this  we  see  what  this  "one  heart"  means; 
but  Oh,  how  little  of  this  grace  have  we  received ! 
How  many  hearts  have  we ;  how  many  gods  have 
we,  to  divide  these  hearts  between  them.  How  small 
a  corner,  how  low  a  place,  must  the  Lord  take  up 
with  us,  if  he  will  have  any  at  all.  How  often  is  he 
made  to  stand  aside,  or  to  stoop  to  a  lust.  God  made 
to  give  place  to  the  devil !  Is  God  our  all  indeed  ? 
Have  we  none  else  to  please,  have  we  none  else  to 
serve  ?  Have  we  no  portion,  no  inheritance,  no  other 
God  but  the  Lord  ?  Is  he  our  alpha  and  omega,  our 
first  and  our  last,  our  spring  and  our  ocean,  our  sum 
and  our  scope,  the  rise  and  the  rest  of  all  our  motions  ? 
Whatever  our  tongues  speak,  do  our  hearts  also  and 


142  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

our  lives  say,  "To  me,  to  live  is  Christ:  none  but 
God,  none  but  Christ,  nothing  but  heaven  and  glory?" 
When  we  are  driving  so  hard  for  our  flesh,  for  our 
pride,  for  our  ease,  for  our  gain ;  when  we  are  so 
busy  this  way,  and  so  hearty  and  so  zealous  that  way ; 
when  these  must  have  so  great  a  share  in  our  religion, 
is  this  still  our  voice,  "To  me,  to  live  is  Christ?"  0, 
how  little  power  has  the  Lord  with  us !  How  far  is 
it  that  the  single  interest  of  God  will  carry  our  souls  ? 
How  little  is  done  purely  for  God !  We  have  often 
many  strings  to  our  bow.  There  are  some  services 
wherein  there  is  something  coming  to  the  flesh,  as 
well  as  to  the  name  of  God — some  credit  or  honor, 
some  outward  advantage  to  be  got  by  religion ;  but 
when  all  the  other  strings  crack  but  this  one,  when 
there  is  nothing  to  move  us  but  God,  0  how  weak  do 
our  motions  grow.  The  flesh  often  goes  partner  with 
God :  there  is  a  double  trade  driving  in  the  same 
actions — a  trade  for  heaven  and  a  trade  for  earth  to- 
gether. There  is  something  to  be  got  by  our  religion 
besides  what  is  coming  to  God:  there  are  fields  and 
vineyards  and  olive-yards,  friends  and  honors  and 
preferments.  Thus  it  sometimes  falls  out,  when  god- 
liness is  in  the  rising  side ;  and  when  it  is  thus,  we 
go  smoothly  and  vigorously  on:  "Come,  see  the  zeal 
that  I  have  for  the  Lord  of  hosts."  But  when  the 
interests  of  God  and  the  flesh  divide  and  part  asunder ; 
when  the  flesh  is  likely  to  be  a  loser  by  our  religion ; 
when  God  puts  us  on  such  duties  as  will  spend  upon 
the  flesh,  and  eat  out  and  devour  its  interest ;  when  our 
hearts  tell  us,  as  Deborah  did  Barak,  "This  shall  not 


ONE  HEART.  143 

"be  for  thine  honor,"  Judges  4:9;  or  this  will  not  be 
for  thine  ease,  or  thy  safety;  then  what  becomes  of 
our  zeal  ?  Oh,  how  heavily  do  we  then  drive  on ! 
How  seldom  is  it  that  this  word,  "Yet  God  shall  he 
glorified,"  will  balance  all  the  prejudices,  and  confute 
all  the  cross  reasonings  of  the  flesh,  and  carry  us  on 
our  way  without  and  against  it. 

How  little  has  the  Lord  of  the  government  of  us ! 
If  he  doth  govern  as  a  king,  yet  how  little  does  he  as 
our  end.  How  little  does  goodness  govern  us ;  how 
little  can  love  do  with  us !  We  must  have  rigor  and 
severity ;  we  must  have  spurs,  and  goads,  and  rods, 
and  stripes,  and  scorpions  too ;  and  all  little  enough 
to  drive  us  back  from  those  other  gods  which  we  have 
chosen,  and  to  bring  us  on  after  the  Lord.  If  the 
law  be  not  made  for  the  righteous,  if  they  need  not  a 
law,  then  what  are  we,  for  whom  the  law  will  not 
suffice  ?  If  commands,  threatenings,  terrors,  penal- 
ties, judgments,  can  do  no  more  upon  us ;  if  we  are 
yet  so  loose,  and  so  carnal,  and  so  earthly,  and  so 
froward,  and  so  false,  and  so  formal,  under  the  severest 
discipline  ;  if  we  will  not  be  whipped  into  more  hu- 
mility, spirituality,  self-denial,  watchfulness,  care, 
activity,  zeal ;  but  are  such  drones  and  such  sleepers, 
such  earthworms  and  such  sensualists  still,  under  all 
the  corrections  and  compulsions  of  the  law — 0  what 
should  we  be  without  a  law,  were  there  nothing  but 
love  to  restrain  us  from  sin  and  constrain  and  quicken 
us  to  duty  ? 

Christians,  have  we  but  one  thing  to  do  in  all  we 
do  ?    Sometimes  we  are  busy  in  doing  nothing.   Though 


144  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

there  be  a  prayer  in  our  mouths,  the  praises  of  God 
in  our  mouths,  Christ,  heaven,  holiness,  glory,  a  new 
heart,  a  new  life  upon  our  tongues,  there  is  nothing 
within :  no  prayer,  no  praise,  no  Christ,  nor  heaven. 
What  have  we  been  doing  in  the  closet,  in  the  family, 
in  the  congregation,  many  times,  when  we  seemed  to 
have  been  praying?  Nothing,  nothing,  but  sowing 
wind  and  good  words.  Sometimes  we  have  too  many 
things  in  our  hearts ;  what  a  world  of  carnal  devices 
and  fleshly  projects  have  we  wrapt  up  in  the  garment 
of  our  religion  !  Peter's  sheet  had  not  a  more  hetero- 
geneous miscellany  of  creatures,  "four-footed  beasts, 
wild  beasts,  creeping  things,  and  fowls  of  the  air,"  than 
our  religious  duties  have  of  designs  and  ends.  We 
have  men  to  please ;  our  pride,  our  appetites,  to  offer 
sacrifice  to ;  we  bring  our  farms  and  our  oxen  and 
our  trades  before  the  Lord.  Are  not  our  hearts,  which 
should  be  the  houses  of  prayer,  the  houses  of  mer- 
chandise ?  Are  we  not  taking,  or  pursuing,  or  in  a 
journey,  or  asleep,  or  driving  bargains?  0  Christians, 
if  we  were  privy  to  one  another's  hearts  as  God  is 
privy  to  them,  what  abominations  should  we  see 
brought  into  the  holy  places  !  What  monsters  would 
our  most  sacred  services  appear,  which,  while  the 
outside  only  is  viewed,  are  applauded  and  admired. 
Is  this  our  singleness  of  heart?  0  for  shame  and 
blushing  and  confusion  of  face.  0  for  a  veil  to 
hide  such  hearts  from  the  jealous  eye  of  the  holy 
God :  a  varnish,  a  fair  outside,  hides  all  from  men ; 
but  nothing  but  a  dark  veil  of  shame  and  sorrow  and 
tears  and  repentance — a  veil  dipped  in  blood,  in  the 


ONE  HEART.  145 

blood  of  Christ,  will  hide  them  from  the  eyes  of  the 
Lord. 

Oh,  how  little  plainness  and  singleness  of  heart  is 
there  in  our  ordinary  course,  in  our  dealings  and  con- 
versings  in  the  world  !  How  little  faith  or  truth  is 
there  in  us !  How  little  trust  is  to  he  put  in  us ! 
What  doubling,  what  deceitful  dealing,  defrauding, 
overreaching,  undermining,  are  we  guilty  of!  How 
false  are  we  in  our  promises ;  how  insignificant  are 
our  words ;  what  an  uncertain  sound  do  they  give  ! 
Our  yea  may  often  stand  for  nay,  and  our  nay  for 
yea.  "  They  speak  vanity  every  one  with  his  neigh- 
bor ;  with  flattering  lips  and  with  a  double  heart  do 
they  speak."  Psa.  12:2.  Trust  ye  not  in  a  friend, 
put  not  confidence  in  a  guide. 

Blessed  be  God,  the  Lord  hath  a  generation  on 
whom  this  cannot  be  charged,  children  that  will  not 
lie  nor  deceive.  Though  Satan  and  this  evil  world  bind 
up  all  in  a  bundle,  "They  are  all  naught;  they  are 
all  false,  vain  boasters,  and  deceitful  workers ;  there 
is  none  upright,  no,  not  one;"  yet,  thanks  be  to  God, 
Satan  is  a  liar — the  accuser  of  the  brethren  is  a  false 
accuser.  God  hath  his  children  that  will  not  lie. 
But  woe  be  to  those  professors,  by  reason  of  whom 
the  offence  cometh. 

Christians,  hath  God  promised  to  give  you  "one 
heart  ?"  Let  it  be  once  said,  "  This  day  is  the  Scrip- 
ture fulfilled."  0  may  you  be  the  accomplishment 
of  this  good  word.  Hath  God  promised  to  give  you 
one  heart  ?  Do  not  say,  But  I  will  not  take  it ; 
two  are  better  than  one :  I  have  found  so  much  the 


146  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

sweet  of  deceit,  that  there  is  no  life  like  it.  Hath 
God  said,  "I  will  give  one  heart?"  let  not  any  one 
among  you  say,  But  I  fear  he  will  not.  Make  not 
the  promise  of  (rod  of  none  effect,  either  by  your  im- 
piety or  unbelief.  Doth  God  promise  to  give  this  one 
heart  ?  he  that  promised  it,  doth  also  require  it.  Be 
thyself,  Christian.  Let  it  be  said  thou  art  what  thou 
art ;  be  true,  be  but  one,  have  but  one  heart,  and  let 
thy  one  heart  have  but  one  tongue,  but  one  face,  and 
but  one  thing  to  do.  Beware  of  hypocrisy,  beware  of 
carnal  policy  ;  make  not  thy  God  to  serve  thy  flesh ; 
call  not  the  serving  of  thy  flesh  a  serving  of  God,  and 
make  not  thy  serving  of  God  to  be  a  serving  of  the 
flesh.  Be  not  divided  between  God  and  the  world. 
Oh,  how  easy  would  our  lives  be,  did  we  find  our 
whole  souls  running  one  way  ;  taking  up  with  God  as 
the  adequate  object  of  all  our  powers,  the  mark  of  all 
our  motions,  and  the  reward  of  all  our  labors  ;  did  all 
our  streams  empty  themselves  into  this  ocean,  and  all 
our  lines  meet  in  this  one  centre ;  did  God  alone 
draw  and  allure  our  hearts,  and  the  sincerity  of  our 
hearts  give  motion  to  all  our  wheels,  guide  our  eyes, 
govern  our  tongues,  order  our  steps,  animate  our 
duties,  direct  and  quicken  us  in  all  our  goings.  Oh, 
how  sweet,  Oh,  how  beautiful,  were  such  a  life !  in 
sympathy  between  our  hearts  and  our  end,  there  is 
sweetness ;  in  the  harmony  of  our  hearts  and  ways, 
there  is  beauty.  Oh,  how  sweet  are  the  drawings  of 
love.  The  free  and  full  closing  of  our  spirits  with  God, 
dissolving  themselves  into  his  will,  acquiescing  and 
resting  satisfied  in  his  goodness,  is  a  sweetness  which 


ONE  HEART.  147 

no  man  knows  but  he  who  tastes  it ;  the  harmony  of 
the  powers  of  the  soul  within  itself,  of  its  motions 
and  actions  in  the  life,  has  a  beauty  which  will  eclipse 
the  glory  of  the  world.  Christian,  be  it  thus  with 
thee,  and  thou  hast  the  blessing — that  covenant  bless- 
ing which  the  Lord  has  promised,  in  saying,  "I  will 
give  them  one  heart." 


: 


148  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER   IX. 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH. 


"  I  will  take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your 
flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a  heart  of  flesh."  Ezek. 
36 :  26.  The  old  heart  is  a  stone,  cold  as  a  stone, 
dead  as  a  stone,  hard  as  a  stone ;  hut  I  will  take 
away  the  stone,  and  give  a  heart  of  flesh. 

A  heart  of  flesh  is  a  soft  and-  tender  heart ;  flesh 
can  feel ;  any  thing  that  is  contrary  to  it  puts  it  to 
pain.  Sin  makes  it  smart ;  it  cannot  kick  but  it  is 
against  the  pricks ;  by  its  rebellion  and  resistance 
against  the  Lord,  it  receives  a  wound ;  it  cannot  hit 
but  it  hurts  itself.  A  soft  hand  gets  nothing  by  strik- 
ing a  hedge  of  thorns.  A  soft  heart,  when  it  hath 
been  meddling  with  sin,  is  sure  to  smart  for  it.  It 
can  neither  escape  the  pain,  nor  yet  endure  it ;  and 
what  it  cannot  bear,  it  will  take  warning  to  avoid. 

Flesh  will  bleed.  A  soft  heart  will  mourn  and, 
melt  and  grieve  when  hard  hearts  are  moved  at  noth- 
ing. Flesh  will  yield.  It  is  apt  to  receive  impres- 
sions. The  power  of  (rod  will  awe  it ;  his  justice 
alarm  it ;  his  mercy  melt  it ;  his  holiness  humble  it, 
and  leave  his  stamp  and  image  upon  it.  And  as  the 
attributes,  so  the  word  and  works  of  Grod  will  make 
sign  upon  it.  Who  sets  a  seal  upon  a  stone  ;  or  what 
print  will  it  receive  ?  upon  the  wax,  the  print  will 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  140 

abide.  God  speaks  once  and  twice,  "but  man,  hard- 
ened man  will  not  regard  it.  Neither  his  word  nor 
his  rod,  neither  his  speaking  nor  his  smiting  will  make 
any  impression  on  such  hearts.  It  is  the  heart  of  flesh 
that  hears  and  yields.  And  with  such  hearts  the  Lord 
delights  to  he  dealing.  "  The  heart  of  this  people  is 
waxed  gross,"  Acts  28  :  27  ;  they  will  not  hear,  they 
will  not  understand  ;  and  the  next  word  is,  Away  to 
the  Gentiles,  they  will  hear.  He  will  no  more  write 
his  law  on  tables  of  stone :  he  will  write  in  flesh ; 
there  the  impression  will  take,  and  go  the  deeper ; 
and  therefore,  wherever  he  intends  to  write,  he  pre- 
pares his  tablet — makes  this  stone  flesh,  and  then 
engraves  upon  it.  Particularly  this  tenderness  admits 
of  a  double  distinction. 

I.  Respecting  the  object  of  it.  There  is  a  ten- 
derness as  to  sin,  duty,  and  suffering. 

1.  As  to  sin.  And  this  discovers  itself  both  before 
the  commission,  and  after  the  commission  of  it. 

Before  the  commission.  While  it  is  under  a  temp- 
tation, or  feels  the  first  impulse  to  sin.  A  tender  heart 
startles,  starts  back  at  the  sight  of  a  sin,  as  at  the  sight 
of  a  devil:  "  How  can  I  do  this  great  wickedness,  and 
sin  against  God  ?"  Genesis  39  :  9.  This  manner  of 
speech  presents  Joseph  as  a  man  in  a  fright,  startled 
at  the  ugliness  of  the  sin.  So  David  when  he  had  an 
opportunity  and  a  temptation  to  slay  Saul,  rejects  it 
with  a  «  God  forbid."  "  The  Lord  forbid  that  I  should 
stretch  forth  my  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed." 
1  Sam.  26 :  11.  And  the  tender  conscience  not  only 
shrinks  at  the  higher  and  greater  sins,  but  it  resists 


150  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  little  ones,  the  smallest  of  sins.  Is  it  not  a  little 
one  ?  is  no  plea  with  it.  Little  or  great,  it  is  a  sin, 
and  that  is  enough. 

There  is  also  a  tenderness  as  to  sin  after  its  com- 
mission ;  if  it  has  been  brought  on  by  an  act  of  sin, 
yet  it  cannot  cease  with  it.  The  skirt  of  Saul's  gar- 
ment was  too  heavy  for  David's  heart  to  bear.  His 
heart  smote  him  at  once.  1  Sam.  24  :  5.  Sin  in  the 
review  looks  dreadful.  Its  pleasant  flowers  quickly 
turn  to  thorns  ;  it  pricks  the  heart,  how  much  soever 
it  pleased  the  eye.  It  ordinarily  enters  by  the  eye, 
and  often  runs  out  the  same  way  it  came  in — runs 
out  in  tears.  "  "When  he  thought  thereon,  he  wept." 
At  least,  it  warns  one  and  makes  him  more  watchful 
afterwards.  Thou  seest  what  it  is,  take  heed ;  take 
it  for  a  warning,  and  do  so  no  more.  The  pain  of  sin, 
if  it  do  not  force  a  tear,  will  set  a  watch. 

2.  As  to  duty.  A  tender  heart  will  neither  slight  a 
sin,  nor  neglect  a  duty.  It  is  loath  to  grieve  and  offend, 
and  careful  to  serve  and  please  the  Lord.  It  would 
not  that  he  should  suffer  by  it,  nor  so  much  as  lose 
his  due.  It  watches  against  sin,  and  unto  duty.  It 
cares  how  to  please  the  Lord,  and  its  care  is  tender. 
It  would  not  displease  by  its  neglects  or  performances ; 
all  must  be  done  that  ought,  and  as  it  ought  to  be 
done.  It  will  neither  withhold  its  offering,  nor  will  it 
offer  an  unclean  thing.  It  considers  not  only  what, 
but  how.  Both  matter  and  manner,  substance  and 
circumstance,  all  must  be  right,  or  it  is  not  at  ease. 
It  is  not  satisfied  that  it  prays  sometimes ;  it  would 
never  lose  a  praying  time,     (rod  will  not,  and  it  can- 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH-  151 

not  lose  a  duty.  It  would  neither  lose  by  non-per- 
formance, nor  lose  what  is  performed.  It  would 
neither  leave  undone,  nor  do  amiss ;  any  failing,  not 
only  in  the  matter,  but  in  the  principle,  end,  affec- 
tion, tender  affection — any  failing  pains  it. 

There  is  a  tenderness  in  point  of  suffering.  A 
tender  heart  will  not  be  careful  what  or  how  much, 
but  why  and  upon  what  account  he  suffers  ;  -will 
neither  sinfully  shun  the  cross,  nor  run  upon  it  unwar- 
rantably. He  Waits  for  a  call,  and  then  follows.  He 
is  patient  under  the  hand  of  the  Lord,  but  not  insen- 
sible;  can  be  touched  with  an  affliction,  though  not 
offended  at  it :  "  The  hand  of  the  Lord  hath  toii> 
me."  He  sutlers  mere  than  his  own  sufferings.  His 
brethrens'  burdens  all  lie  on  his  shoulders.  He  weeps 
in  their  sorrows,  bleeds  in  their  wounds,  his  heart  is 
bound  in  their  chains.  As  the  care,  so  the  trouble  of 
all  the  churches  comes  daily  upon  him :  "  Who  is  weak, 
and  I  am  not  weak;  who  is  offended,  and  I  burn  not?" 
he  espouses  all  the  sufferings  of  Christ  as  his  own.  In 
all  His  afflictions,  he  is  afflicted. 

II.  Tenderness  may  be  distinguished  in  respect  to 
the  subject  of  it.  There  is  a  tenderness  of  the  con- 
science, the  will,  the  affections. 

1.  Tenderness  of  conscience  consists  in  these  three 
things:  clearness  of  judgment,  quickness  of  sight,  and 
uprightness  or  faithfulness. 

Clearness  of  judgment,  when  it  is  well  instructed, 
and  understands  the  rule,  and  can  thence  discern  be- 
tween  good  and  evil.  Heb.  5  :  14.  There  is  a  ten- 
derness that  proceeds  from  cloudiness;  a  scrupulosity 


152  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

that  fears  every  thing,  stumbles  at  straws,  starts  at. 
shadows  ;  makes  sins  ;  picks  quarrels  at  duties  ;  and 
so  sometimes  dares  not  please  God,  for  fear  of  offend- 
ing him.  This  is  the  sickness  or  soreness  of  con- 
science, not  its  soundness.  It  is  the  sound  conscience 
that  is  truly  tender. 

Such  a  conscience  has  quickness  of  sight  and 
watchfulness.  "  I  sleep,  tmt  my  heart  waketh."  It 
can  espy  the  least  sins  and  smallest  duties.  It  can 
see  sin  in  the  very  temptation ;  it  can  discover  the 
least  sin  under  the  fairest  face,  and  the  least  duty 
under  the  foulest  mask.  Call  it  singularity,  nicety, 
cloud  it  with  reproaches,  yet  conscience  can  discover 
light  shining  through  all  the  clouds ;  and  sees  duty 
within,  with  whatsoever  unhandsome  face  it  be  pre- 
sented. Clearness  of  judgment  consists  in  conscience's 
understanding  the  rule  ;  quickness  of  sight  in  apply- 
ing the  rule  to  cases  and  distinguishing  them.  The 
truly  tender  hath  his  eyes  in  his  head,  and  his  eyes 
open  to  discover  and  discern  all  that  comes,  be  it  good 
or  evil,  little  or  great.  If  but  a  thought  comes  in, 
What  comes  there  ?  says  conscience ;  what  art  thou, 
a  friend  or  an  enemy  ?  whence  art  thou ;  from  God 
or  from  beneath  ?  It  will  examine  whatever  knocks, 
before  any  free  admission.  0,  what  a  crowd  of  evils 
do  thrust  themselves  into  loose  and  careless  hearts ; 
the  devil  comes  in  in  the  crowd,  and  is  never  dis- 
covered. If  the  eye  be  either  dim  or  asleep,  there  is 
entrance  for  any  thing.  Little  do  we  think  ofttimes 
who  hath  been  with  us,  and  what  losses  and  mis- 
chiefs we  have  sustained  while  our  hearts  have  been 


A.  HEART  OF  FLESH.  153 

asleep,  which,  had  they  been  wakeful  and  watchful, 
might  have  been  prevented. 

A  tender  conscience  is  also  marked  by  upright' 
ness  and  faithfulness,  which  discovers  itself, 

In  giving  charge  concerning  duly.  Look  to  it, 
soul,  there  is  a  duty  before  thee  which  God  calls  thee 
to ;  do  not  say,  It  is  no  great  hurt  to  let  it  alone,  it  is 
no  great  hurt  to  do  it,  it  is  questionable  whether  it  be 
a  duty  or  not ;  many  wiser  than  I  think  otherwise. 
Do  not  say,  It  is  a  nicety,  it  is  but  a  punctilio,  it  is 
mere  folly  and  preciseness,  and  there  will  be  no  end 
of  standing  upon  such  small  matters.  See  to  it,  it  is 
thy  duty,  beware  thou  neglect  it  not ;  the  balking  of 
the  least  duty  is  the  neglecting  of  the  great  God  of 
glory. 

In  giving  warning  of  sin.  Take  heed  to  thy- 
self, sin  lies  at  the  door,  thou  art  under  a  tempta- 
tion, the  devil  is  entering  upon  thee.  Do  not  say, 
It  is  but  a  little  sin :  little  as  it  is,  there  is  death  and 
hell  in  it ;  look  to  it,  it  is  sin,  have  thou  nothing  to  do 
with  it,  keep  thyself  pure,  and  though  it  run  upon 
thee,  shake  it  off. 

After  the  commission  of  sin,  it  gives  a  rebuke  for 
it ;  reproving,  judging,  and  lashing  the  soul  for  it. 
"Where  hast  thou  been,  Gehazi  ?  say  not  thou  hast 
been  nowhere.  Went  not  this  heart  with  thee,  and 
saw  thee  running  after  thy  covetousness,  gadding 
after  thy  pleasures,  feeding  thy  pride,  dandling  thy 
lusts,  playing  the  hypocrite,  playing  the  harlot  from 
thy  God,  pampering  thy  flesh,  pleasing  thine  appe- 
tite? and  where  hast  thou  been?     What  hast  thou 


154  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

done,  soul  ?  think  not  to  excuse  or  mince  the  matter, 
it  cannot  be  excused ;  thou  hast  sinned  against  thy 
God,  and  now  bear  thy  shame."  This  is  our  heart 
smiting  us,  2  Sam.  24  :  10 ;  our  heart  condemning  us : 
"  If  our  heart  condemn  us,  God  is  greater  than  our 
heart,  and  knoweth  all  things."     1  John,  3  :  20. 

2.  Tenderness  of  the  will  consists  in  its  flexible- 
ness  and  pliableness  to  the  will  of  God.  And  this  is 
that  tenderness  wherein  chiefly  lies  the  blessing  of  a 
soft  heart :  a  hard  heart  is  stubborn  and  obstinate. 
Thy  neck  is  as  an  iron  sinew,  and  thy  brow  brass. 
Thou  wilt  not  be  ruled,  there  is  no  bending  thee  or 
turning  thee  out  of  thy  course,  thine  iron  is  too  hard 
for  the  fire,  it  will  not  be  melted ;  and  for  the  ham- 
mer, it  will  not  be  broken ;  there  is  no  dealing  with 
thee,  thou  art  an  untractable  piece,  thou  wilt  neither 
be  led  nor  driven ;  thy  heart  is  set  in  thee  to  do  evil, 
thy  will  is  set  upon  sin,  and  thou,  art  set  upon  thine 
own  will.  Thou  say  est,  "  The  word  that  thou  hast 
spoken  unto  us  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  we  will  not 
do ;  but  we  will  do  whatsoever  thing  goeth  forth  out  of 
our  own  mouth."  Jer.  44  :  16,  17.  "  Who  is  lord  over 
us  ?"  Psa.  12  : 4  ;  Jer.  2  :  25.  Thou  sayest,  "  There 
is  no  hope ;  no,  for  I  have  loved  strangers,  and  after 
them  I  will  go,  come  what  will  of  it,  say  what  thou 
wilt  against  it ;  be  silent,  Scriptures ;  hold  thy  peace, 
conscience ;  it  is  to  no  purpose  to  speak  more,  there 
is  no  hope  of  prevailing;  we  are  resolved,  we  will 
take  our  own  course."  These  are  hard  hearts,  stub- 
born, obstinate  hearts. 

"When  the  iron  sinew  is  broken,  when  the  rebellion 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  155 

and  stubbornness  of  the  spirit  is  subdued  and  tamed, 
and  made  gentle  and  pliable,  then  it  becomes  a  tra- 
der heart. 

There  may  be  some  tenderness  in  the  conscience, 
and  yet  the  will  be  a  very  stone ;  and  as  long  as  the 
will  stands  out,  there  is  no  broken  heart.  Conscience 
may  be  scared  and  frighted.  Conscience  may  fly 
upon  the  sinner  with,  "  What  dost  thou  mean,  soul; 
whither  are  thy  rebellions  carrying  thee?  look  to  thy- 
self, hearken,  or  thou  wilt  be  lost  ere  thou  art  aware.'' 
But  however  God  has  conscience  on  his  side,  yet  the 
devil  still  rides  the  will ;  and  there  sin  Takes  up  its 
rest.  There  is  a  twofold  resting  of  sin  in  the  soul: 
in  peace  and  in  power. 

In  peace :  when  it  dwells  and  rules  in  the  soul 
without  disturbance  or  contradiction ;  when  it  carries 
all  smoothly  before  it.  When  God  lets  it  alone,  and 
conscience  speaks  not  a  word  against  it ;  when  not- 
withstanding those  armies  of  lusts  fighting  against 
the  soul,  there  is  not  so  much  as  one  weapon  lifted  up 
against  them  ;  not  a  prayer,  not  a  tear,  nor  a  wish 
for  freedom,  nor  the  least  fear  concerning  the  issue : 
this  is  the  most  dreadful  hardness. 

In  power :  when,  though  it  can  have  no  peace, 
yet  it  hath  still  a  place  in  the  heart.  Though  it  can 
have  no  quiet,  but  conscience  is  ever  quarrelling  with 
it  and  warning  it  away,  yet  it  still  holds  its  power 
over  the  will ;  the  master  of  the  house  is  content  to 
be  its  servant.  Oh,  how  many  persons  are  there, 
even  among  the  professors  of  religion,  who  cannot  sin 
in  quiet :  they  are  proud,  or  passionate,  or  intemper- 


156  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ate,  or  covetous,  or  false  in  their  words  and  dealings ; 
they  are  formal  and  hypocritical,  and  slight  in  their 
duties,  but  they  cannot  go  on  thus  with  any  quiet. 
Conscience  smites  them  for  it,  they  feel  many  a  pang 
and  deadly  twinge  in  their  heart,  insomuch  that  some- 
times they  cry  and  groan  and  roar  in  their  spirits, 
0  for  redemption,  0  for  deliverance  from  this  false, 
this  proud,  this  covetous  and  wicked  heart.  And 
yet,  after  all  this  the  will  remains  a  captive  still,  sin 
holds  its  power  there,  though  it  cannot  reign  in  peace; 
though  it  cannot  he  proud,  or  play  the  hypocrite,  or 
be  covetous,  or  an  oppressor,  without  some  galls  and 
gripes  in  the  soul,  yet  on  it  goes,  the  same  trade  is 
kept  up,  the  same  course  is  held  on.  God  com- 
mands, "  Cast  ye  out,  cast  ye  out,  come  off  from  all 
your  wickedness  and  evil  ways,  and  I  will  receive 
you."  But  no,  though  conscience  would,  the  will 
cannot  come  ;  whatever  rendings  and  tearings,  what- 
ever terrors  and  torments  and  worryings  such  souls 
are  at  any  time  under  ;  whatever  stings  and  plagues 
and  fires  they  find  their  sins  to  be  in  their  souls  and 
bones  ;  whatever  wishings  they  wring  forth  that  they 
were  well  rid  of  these  plagues,  while  the  will  is  still 
wrong  there  is  a  hard  heart,  desperately  hard;  there 
is  none  of  this  heart  of  flesh.  But  when  the  will  is 
once  broken  loose  from  sin,  when  it  will  be  content  to 
let  all  go,  and  give  up  itself  to  the  dominion  of  the 
Lord,  there  is  a  broken  heart.  "  Now  speak,  Lord, 
and  I  will  hear.  Now  call,  Lord,  and  I  will  answer. 
Now  command  me,  impose  on  me  what  thou  wilt,  I 
will  submit.     None  but  the  Lord,  none  but  Christ, 


A   HEART   OF   FLESH.  157 

no  other  Lord  nor  lover.  I  am  thine.  Lord,  thine 
own;  do  with  thine  own,  demand  of  thine  own,  what- 
ever thou  pleasest.  What  God  will  have  me  be,  what 
God  will  have  me  do,  that  will  I  do  and  be.  No 
longer  what  I  will,  but  the  will  of  the  Lord  be  done." 
When  it  is  come  to  this,  there  is  a  tender  heart,  there 
is  the  blessing  of  a  broken  spirit ;  the  stone  he  has 
taken  away,  he  has  given  a  heart  of  flesh. 

Christians,  never  trust  to  tears,  never  talk  of  ter- 
rors, of  trouble  of  conscience,  of  the  passionate  work- 
ings and  meltings  which  at  any  time  you  feel  within 
your  spirits :  though  there  be  something  in  these,  as  you 
shall  see  more  by  and  by.  ye1  those  are  not  the  things 
you  are  to  look  at.  A  subdued,  tractable,  willing, 
obedient  heart,  that  is  the  tender  heart.  "If  ye  be 
willing  and  obedient,  ye  shall  eat  the  good  of  the  land  ; 
but  if  ye  refuse  and  rebel,  ye  shall  be  devoured  with 
the  sword ;  for  the  mouth  of  the  Lord  hath  spoken  it." 
Isa.  1 :  19. 

3.  Tenderness  of  the  affections.  Of  these  I  shall 
instance  only  three — love,  fear,  sorrow. 

(1.)  The  tenderness  of  love  is  seen  in  its  benevo- 
lence and  in  its  jealousy. 

In  its  benevolence.  Our  goodness  extends  not  to 
the  Lord,  but  our  good-will  does.  Our  love  can  add 
nothing  to  him :  "  Can  a  man  be  profitable  unto  God  ?" 
Job  22  :  2.  "If  thou  be  righteous,  what  givest  thou 
to  him  ?"  Job  35  :  7.  Yet  though  it  can  add  noth- 
ing, it  would  not  that  any  thing  be  detracted  from 
him  ;  while  he  can  have  no  more,  it  would  that  he 
should  have  his  own,  all  that  is  due,  his  due  praise, 


158  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

his  due  honor  and  homage  and  worship  and  subjec- 
tion, from  every  creature ;  it  would  have  no  abate- 
ment, not  the  least  spot  or  stain  upon  all  his  glory. 
"What  is  an  affront  to  God,  is  an  offence  to  love.  "  Love 
beareth  all  things,"  saith  the  apostle,  1  Cor.  13  : 7 — 
all  things  from  God,  all  things  from  men.  And  yet 
there  are  two  things  which  love  to  God  cannot  bear — 
his  dishonor  and  his  displeasure. 

The  benevolent  heart  cannot  bear  God's  dishonor. 
Love  would  have  Grod  to  be  God,  to  live  in  the  glory 
of  his  majesty,  in  the  hearts  and  eyes  of  all  the  world. 
His  reproach  is  grievous  to  him  that  loves,  for  this  is 
the  cloud  that  takes  God  out  of  sight.  He  loves  and 
honors,  and  would  that  God  should  be  loved  and  hon- 
ored of  all ;  he  fears,  and  would  that  the  whole  world 
should  fear  him.  He  would  receive  in  his  own  breast 
every  arrow  that  is  shot  against  his  Maker ;  he  would 
that  his  own  name  and  soul  might  stand  between  his 
God  and  all  reproach  and  dishonor.  He  would  be 
vile,  if  so  the  Lord  may  be  glorious :  that  God  may 
increase,  he  is  content  to  decrease.  He  is  not  so  ten- 
der of  his  own  heart  and  life,  as  of  the  holiness  of  his 
God.  He  would  suffer  and  die,  and  be  nothing,  rather 
than  that  God  should  not  be  all  in  all.  He  would 
rather  never  think,  nor  speak,  nor  be,  than  not  be,  in 
word  and  thought  and  life,  holiness  to  the  Lord.  But 
0  what  or  where  would  he  not  be,  rather  than  his  own 
hand  should  be  lifted  up  against  Jehovah ! 

To  see  the  Lord  robbed  of  his  holiness,  wronged  in 
his  wisdom,  or  his  truth,  or  his  sovereignty ;  to  see  sin, 
to  see  the  world,  set  up  in  the  throne,  and  the  God  of 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  159 

glory  made  to  stand  aside  as  insignificant ;  to  hear  that 
blasphemy,  "God  is  not  worth  this  lust,  or  not  wor- 
thy this  labor" — and  what  less  is  said  in  every  sin? — 
is  a  sword  in  his  breast.  "The  reproaches  of  them 
that  reproached  thee  are  fallen  upon  me."  Love  has 
tasted  of  God,  it  has  fed  on  his  fulness,  it  has  its 
nourishment  from  his  sweetness,  it  has  been  warmed 
in  his  bosom,  all  his  goodness  has  passed  before  it ; 
upon  this  it  lives  and  feeds;  and  having  found  and 
felt  what  the  Lord  is,  it  is  impatient  that  his  good- 
ness should  be  clouded  or  belied.  Love  kindled  from 
heaven  is  keen,  and  the  keen  edge  is  a  tender  edge — 
the  least  touch  of  what  offends  will  turn  it.  "  I  am 
in  distress,  my  bowels  are  troubled,  my  heart  is  turned 
within  me,  for  I  have  grievously  rebelled."  Lam. 
1 :  20.  "  My  tears  have  been  my  meat  day  and  night, 
while  they  continually  say  unto  me,  "Where  is  thy 
God?"  Psa.  42:3.  Where  is  that  care,  that  help, 
and  that  salvation  of  thy  God  thou  trustedst  in  ?  Thy 
God  is  not  such  a  one  as  thou  boasted st  him  to  be. 
When  I  remember,  when  I  hear  such  things,  my  soul 
is  poured  out  within  me.  Love  is  large ;  lie  that 
loves  has  a  large  heart,  he  can  neve*  receive  or  do  too 
much ;  he  would  have  all  he  can,  and  he  would  give 
all  he  hath  to  the  Lord.  He  is  tender  how  any  thing 
be  withheld  that  is  due,  how  any  thing  be  wasted 
elsewhere  that  might  be  useful  to  the  Lord. 

Nor  can  love  bear  his  displeasure.  The  displeas- 
ure of  men  it  bears,  and  rejoices  ;  the  wrath  and  rage 
of  Satan  it  bears,  and  triumphs  ;  though  all  the  world 
be  displeased  and  provoked,  if  God  smiles,  it  is  well 


160  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

enough.  Lord,  lift  thou  up  the  light  of  thy  counte- 
nance upon  me,  and  my  heart  shall  be  glad.  Psa.  4. 
"  Thou  didst  hide  thy  face,  and  I  was  troubled."  Psa. 
30  :  7.  Let  him  correct  me,  but  Oh,  not  in  fury ;  let 
him  smite,  but  not  frown ;  let  him  kill  me,  so  he  will 
but  love  me.  And  though  he  smite,  though  he  kill  me, 
yet  will  I  love  and  trust  in  him.  0  my  God,  let  me 
rather  die  in  thy  love,  than  live  in  thy  displeasure : 
there  is  life  in  that  death,  this  life  ,is  death  to  me. 
Let  me  not  be  dead  while  alive ;  turn  away  thine 
anger  which  kills  my  heart." 

It  is  impatient  of  divine  displeasure,  and  thence  it 
is  grievous  to  it  that  it  does  itself  displease  him ; 
thence  it  opposes  sin,  and  condemns  itself  for  it.  Is 
this  thy  kindness  to  thy  friend  ?  Love^t  thou  God, 
soul  ?  What,  and  yet  provokest  him  thus  daily ;  love, 
and  yet  neglect  to  seek  and  follow  thy  God  ;  love, 
and  yet  so  lame  and  so  slow,  and  so  heavy  and  so 
sparing  in  thy  services  to  him  ?  Is  this  all  thy  love 
will  do  ?  Not  deny  thine  ease,  or  thy  pleasure,  or 
thy  liberty,  or  thine  appetite,  or  thy  companion,  for 
the  sake  of  the  Lord ;  choose  rather  to  please  thy 
friend,  or  thy  flesh,  than  to  please  God  ?  Is  this  thy 
love  ?  Is  this  thy  kindness  to  thy  friend  ?  0  false 
heart,  0  unworthy,  unworthy  spirit,  how  canst  thou 
look  thy  God  in  the  face?  How  canst  thou  say,  "I 
love  thee,"  when  thy  heart  is  no  more  with  him  ? 

The  tenderness  of  love  is  also  seen  in  its  jealousy. 
He  that  loves  the  Lord  is  jealous,  and  jealousy  hath 
a  tender  edge ;  he  is  jealous,  not  of,  but  for  the  Lord — 
not  of  his  God,  but  of  himself,  lest  any  thing  should 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  161 

steal  away  his  heart  from  God.  Love  would  he 
chaste,  would  not  bestow  itself  elsewhere  ;  and  yet  is 
in  great  jealousy  lest  it  he  enticed  and  drawn  away. 
He  that  loves  the  Lord,  has  not  any  thing,  whether 
wife,  or  child,  or  friend,  or  estate,  or  esteem,  that 
gets  near  his  heart,  hut  he  is  jealous  of  them,  lest 
they  steal  it  away.  "  Get  you  down,"  he  says,  "  keep 
you  lower;  this  heart  is  neither  yours  nor  mine:  0 
my  God,  it  is  thine ;  it  is  thine,  Lord,  take  it  wholly 
to  thee,  keep  it  to  thyself,  let  no  other  lovers  be  sharers 
with  thee." 

(2.)  There  is  a  tenderness  of  fear.  The  tender 
heart  is  a  trembling  heart,  and  manifests  the  tender- 
ness of  fear  in  its  suspicion  and  its  caution. 

In  its  suspicion.  The  fearful  are  suspicious  ;  they 
look  further  than  they  see ;  he  that  is  in  dread,  will 
be  in  doubt  what  may  befall  him,  he  suspects  a  sur- 
prisal ;  every  bush  is  a  thief,  every  bait  he  fears  may 
have  a  hook  under  it.  There  is  a  foolish  and  cause- 
less fear  ;  and  there  is  a  prudent  and  holy  fear :  this 
fear  is  a  principle  of  wisdom.  Psalm  111 :  10.  "A 
prudent  man  foreseeth  the  evil,"  Prov.  22  :  3,  but 
fools  go  on ;  the  snare  is  never  nearer  than  to  the  se- 
cure; bold,  venturous  sinners  never  want  for  woe,  the 
devil  may  spare  his  cunning  when  he  has  to  do  with 
such.  Nothing  that  looks  like  sin  offers  itself  to  a 
tender  heart,  but  he  presently  suspects  it ;  every  pleas- 
ant morsel,  every  pleasant  cup,  every  pleasant  com- 
panion that  comes,  any  thing  that  tickles  and  gratifies 
the  flesh,  he  looks  through  it  ere  he  will  touch  it,  lest 
it  betray  his   soul   from   God.     "  There   may  be   a 


162  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

snare  in  the  dish,  a  snare  in  my  cup,  a  snare  in 
my  company ;  and  what  if  there  should !"  He  fewds 
himself  with  fear,  dwells,  walks,  converses,  works, 
recreates  himself  with  a  trembling  heart  and  jealous 
eye. 

His  fear  also  appears  in  his  caution.  Pear  is 
wary :  some  commanders  have  set  their  scout-watches 
unarmed,  that  fear  might  make  them  watchful.  A 
fearful  Christian  will  take  heed  what  and  whom  he 
trusts ;  he  dares  not  trust  himself  in  such  company 
as  may  he  a  snare  unto  him.  He  dares  not  trust  his 
heart  among  temptations,  he  will  keep  the  devil  at  a 
distance,  he  will  not  come  near  where  his  nets  do  lie. 
Blessed  is  he  that  thus  feareth  always.  0  the  un- 
speakable mischief,  0  the  multitudes  of  sins,  that 
we  run  upon  through,  our  secure  hearts !  "I  never 
thought  of  it,  I  never  dreamed  of  any  such  danger. 
Oh,  I  am  undermined,  I  am  overreached,  I  am  sur- 
prised ;  my  foot  is  in  the  snare,  the  gin  hath  taken 
me  by  the  heel,  my  soul  is  among  lions,  sin  hath  got- 
ten hold  on  me,  my  heart  is  gone  ere  I  was  aware, 
the  enemy  has  come  in  and  carried  it  away,  has  giv- 
en it  to  lust,  to  the  world,  to  pleasure,  to  divide  it 
among  themselves ;  my  faith  has  failed,  my  conscience 
is  denied,  my  love  is  grown  cold,  my  grace  withered, 
my  comforts  wasted,  my  peace  broken;  and  my  God, 
Oh,  where  is  he  gone  ?  Woe  is  me,  the  evil  that  I 
feared  not  is  come  upon  me ;  had  I  feared,  I  had  not 
fallen.  0  that  I  had  been  wise,  had  kept  my  watch, 
had  stood  upon  my  guard;  had  I  thought,  had  I 
thought,  I  had  escaped  all  tliis  danger."    0  Christians, 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  163 

be  wise  in  season,  and  take  heed  of  the  fool's  too  late, 
"Had  I  known  it" 

(3.)  There  is  a  tenderness  of  sorrow.  Sorrow  is 
the  melting  of  the  heart,  the  stone  dissolved  ;  sorrow 
is  the  wound  of  the  heart :  a  wound  is  tender,  love  is 
tender,  and  therefore  so  is  godly  sorrow,  which  is  the 
sorrow  of  love  ;  you  may  call  it  a  love-sickness.  Love 
is  both  the  pain  and  pleasure  of  a  mourning  heart,  it 
is  love  that  wounds,  and  love  that  heals;  it  is  both 
the  weapon  and  the  oil ;  this  sorrow  hath  its  joy,  the 
melted  is  the  most  joyful  heart ;  it  is  love  that  makes 
it  sad  ;  it  weeps  because  it  loves :  and  it  is  Love  that 
makes  it  glad  too  ;  it  therefore  joys  because  in  its  sor- 
rows it  sees  that  it  loves.  It  is  love  that  makes  the, 
wound,  the  occasion  of  this  sorrow  being  love  abused. 
What  hast  thou  done,  soul?  Whom  hast  thou  de- 
spised ?  Against  whom  hast  thou  lifted  up  thyself? 
Thou  hast  sinned,  thou  hast  sinned,  and  hast  thereby 
smitten  and  grieved  thy  God  that  loves  thee,  and 
whom  thou  lovest.  Thou  hast  but  one  friend  in  heav- 
en and  earth,  and  him  thou  hast  abused;  to  please 
thy  lust,  thou  hast  pierced  thy  Lord,  thou  hast  trans- 
gressed his  commandments,  trampled  upon  his  com- 
passions, and  broken  his  bonds:  his  greatness  and  his 
goodness,  his  law  and  his  very  love  have  been  despised 
by  thee ;  him  who  loved  thee  hast  thou  smitten.  Is 
this  thy  kindness  to  thy  friend  ?  0  vile,  ungracious, 
unkind,  unthankful,  unnatural  heart,  what  hast  thou 
done  ? 

Put  all  this  now  together,  and  you  have  the  heart 
of  flesh  which  the  covenant  promises,  a  tender  heart, 


164  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

a  heart  that  is  tender  of  sin  and  duty,  that  carefully 
shuns  sin,  or  is  sure  to  smart  for  it ;  that  neither 
slights  sin  nor  duty,  that  says  not  of  the  one  or  he 
other,  It  is  but  a  little  one  ;  that  can  feel  sufferings, 
but  not  fret  at  them :  a  tender  conscience,  that  will 
neither  wink  at  sin  nor  excuse  the  sinner,  that  will 
not  hold  the  sinner  guiltless  nor  say  unto  the  wicked 
Thou  art  righteous,  that  will  not  be  smitten  but  it 
will  smite  again,  that  will  give  due  warning  and  due 
correction :  a  flexible,  tractable  heart,  that  will  not 
resist  and  rebel ;  that  says  unto  the  Lord,  What  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do  ?  and  will  not  say  of  any  thing 
God  wills,  Any  thing  but  this  :  a  willing,  ductile  heart, 
stiff  against  nothing  but  sin,  that  a  word  from  heav- 
en will  lead  to  any  thing :  a  heart  of  love,  that  bears 
good-will  to  the  Lord  and  all  that  he  does  or  requires, 
in  which  good- will  lies  radically  every  good  work ; 
that  says  not  of  any  duties  or  sufferings,  This  is  too 
great,  or  of  any  sin,  This  is  nothing ;  that  would  be 
any  thing  or  nothing,  so  (rod  may  be  all ;  that  would 
rather  be  displeased  than  displease ;  that  is  not  dis- 
pleased when  God  is  pleased  :  a  trembling  heart,  that 
fears  more  than  it  sees,  and  flies  from  what  it  fears ; 
whom  fear  makes  to  beware :  a  melting  heart,  a 
mourning  heart,  that  wounds  itself  in  the  wounds  it 
hath  given  to  the  Lord  and  his  name ;  that  can 
grieve  in  love,  and  can  love  and  grieve  where  it  can- 
not weep.  In  sum,  it  is  a  heart  that  can  feel,  that 
can  bleed,  that  can  weep ;  or  at  least  that  can  yield 
and  stoop  where  it  cannot  weep,  nor  feel  but  little ; 
that  will  easily  be  commanded  where  it  is  not  sen- 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  165 

sibly  melted :  this  is  a  soft  heart,  this  is  the  heart  of 
flesh:  "I  will  take  away  the  stone,  and  give  them  a 
heart  of  flesh." 

Oh,  what  a  blessing  is  such  a  heart ;  what  a 
plague  is  a  hard  heart !  Oh,  what  prisoners  are  the 
men  of  this  world  :  in  prison  under  Satan,  in  prison 
under  sin,  bound  under  a  curse,  shut  up  under  unbe- 
lief and  impenitence :  the  hard  heart  is  the  iron  gate 
that  shuts  them  in  that  they  cannot  go  out.  Romans 
2 : 5.  Oh,  what  a  hospital  is  this  world  become  of 
blind  and  lame  and  sick  and  crippled  and  wounded 
creatures.  Whence  are  all  the  calamities  and  dis- 
tresses that  befall  them,  but  from  the  hardness  of 
their  hearts?  The  stone  in  their  hearts  breeds  all 
their  diseases,  brings  all  their  calamities ;  hath  blinded 
their  eyes,  and  broken  their  bones,  and  wasted  their 
estates  :  there  is  not  one  misery  that  befalls  them,  but 
they  may  write  over  it,  This  is  the  hardness  of  my 
heart.  Oh,  what  a  Sodom  is  this  world  become,  for 
wickedness  as  well  as  for  wrath ;  what  drunkenness, 
what  adulteries,  what  oaths,  what  blasphemies,  and 
all  sorts  of  monstrous  sins  do  everywhere  abound: 
whence  is  all  this,  but  from  the  hardness  of  men's 
hearts?  If  you  say,  "  It  is  from  other  causes;  it  is 
from  unbelief,  from  ignorance,  from  impotence,  from 
temptations,"  let  it  be  granted ;  yet  still  it  is  from 
hardness  of  heart.  They  are  wilfully  ignorant,  wil- 
fully weak,  wilfully  run  into  temptations ;  they  shut 
their  eyes  and  stop  their  ears,  they  will  not  see,  they 
will  not  believe.  Oh,  what  losses  do  they  sustain : 
how  many  Sabbaths  are  lost ;  how  many  sermons  are 


166  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

lost ;  how  many  reproofs,  counsels,  corrections,  are 
lost ;  a  gospel  lost,  and  souls  thereby  likely  to  he  lost 
for  ever.  Oh,  what  prodigies  are  they  become,  under 
all  this  sin  and  misery  !  and  yet  merry,  jolly,  laugh- 
ing, and  singing  and  sporting  and  feasting  and  brav- 
ing it  out,  as  if  nothing  ailed  them.  Feeling  nothing 
of  all  that  is  come  upon  them,  and  fearing  nothing  of 
all  that  is  coining.  Warn  them,  reprove  them,  be- 
seech them,  it  is  all  but  preaching  to  a  stone.  It  may 
be  you  have  sometimes  wondered  to  see  a  company  of 
thieves  in  prison,  drinking  and  carousing  and  making 
merry,  when  they  know  that  in  a  few  days  they  must 
be  brought  out  and  hanged.  "When  thou  wonderest 
at  these,  wonder  at  thyself.  What  bitter  complaints 
do  we  sometimes  hear,  even  from  the  best  of  saints. 
"  0  this  hard  heart ;  0  this  stubborn  spirit.  I  can- 
not mourn,  I  cannot  stoop,  I  cannot  submit.  '  Why  hast 
thou  hardened  our  heart  from  thy  fear  ?'  Isa.  63  :  17. 
Or  why  hast  thou  left  us,  or  given  us  up  to  a  hard  heart  ? 
Why  hast  thou  not  softened  and  humbled  and  broken 
us  ?  Thou  hast  humbled  us,  and  we  are  not  hum- 
bled— broken  us,  and  we  are  not  broken ;  thou  hast 
broken  our  land,  broken  our  peace,  broken  our  backs, 
but  the  stone  is  not  yet  broken.  0  for  one  breach 
more,  Lord  ;  our  hearts,  our  hearts,  let  these  be  once 
broken ;  our  streets  mourn,  the  cities  of  our  solemni- 
ties mourn,  the  ways  of  Zion  mourn.  Oh,  when  wilt 
thou  give  us  a  mourning  spirit  ?" 

0  what  sorrow-bitten  souls  are  the  saints  for  their 
want  of  sorrow.  "  I  mourn,  Lord,  I  lament,  I  weep; 
but  it  is  because  I  cannot  mourn  or  lament  as  I  should : 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  167 

if  I  could  mourn  as  I  ought,  I  could  be  comforted  ;  if 
I  could  weep,  I  could  rejoice ;  if  I  could  sigh,  I  could 
sing ;  if  I  could  lament,  I  could  live  ;  I  die,  I  die,  my 
heart  dies  within  me,  because  I  cannot  cry;  I  cry, 
Lord,  but  not  for  sin,  but  for  tears  for  sin ;  I  cry, 
Lord,  my  calamities  cry,  my  bones  cry,  my  soul  cries, 
my  sins  cry,  'Lord,  for  a  broken  heart,'  and  behold, 
yet  I  am  not  broken.  The  rocks  rend,  the  earth 
quakes,  the  heavens  drop,  the  clouds  weep,  the  sun 
will  blush,  the  moon  be  ashamed,  the  foundations  of 
the  earth  will  tremble  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  but 
this  heart  will  neither  break  nor  tremble.  0  for  ;i 
broken  heart !  If  this  were  once  done,  might  my  soul 
have  this  wish,  thenceforth  my  God  might  have  his 
will :  what  would  be  hard,  if  my  heart  were  tender  ? 
Labor  would  be  easy,  pains  would  be  a  pleasure,  bur- 
dens would  be  light.  Neither  the  command  nor  the 
cross  would  be  any  longer  grievous,  nothing  would  bo 
hard  but  sin.  Fear,  where  art  thou?  come  and  plough 
up  this  rock.  Love,  where  art  thou  ?  come  and  thaw 
this  ice,  come  and  warm  this  dead  lump,  come  and 
enlarge  this  straitened  spirit,  then  shall  I  run  the  way 
of  his  commandments." 

0  brethren,  how  little,  how  very  little  of  this  ten- 
derness is  there  to  be  found  in  most  Christians !  The 
sacrifice  of  God  is  a  broken  heart ;  Oh,  how  far  must 
the  Lord  go  to  find  himself  such  a  sacrifice  !  We  do 
but  cast  stones  up  to  heaven  when  we  lift  up  our 
hearts :  it  is  a  wonder  that  such  hearts  as  we  carry 
do  not  break,  that  our  marble  weeps  not ;  that  if  noth- 
ing else  will  do  it,  our  hardness  doth  not  make  us 


168  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

relent ;  that  we  should  so  labor  under,  and  complain 
of,  and  yet  not  be  sick  of  the  stone. 

Broken  hearts,  yielding  and  relenting  spirits,  ten- 
der consciences,  Oh,  where  are  they?  afraid  of  sin, 
tender  of  transgressing,  or  mourning  under  it  ?  when 
shall  it  once  he  ?  Our  lusts  no  more  broken ;  our 
pride,  our  passion,  our  envy,  our  earthliness,  no  more 
broken ;  so  venturous  on  temptation,  so  bold  on  sin, 
such  liberty  taken  to  transgress,  such  mincing  and 
palliating,  and  excusing  of  sin  as  we  find — is  this  our 
brokenness  ?  We  are  tender,  it  is  true ;  but  of  what? 
Of  dishonoring  Grod,  of  abusing  grace,  of  neglecting 
-duty,  of  defiling  conscience,  of  wounding  our  souls  ? 
No,  it  is  of  our  flesh  that  we  are  so  tender — tender  of 
labor,  tender  of  trouble,  tender  of  our  credit,  of  our 
name  and  reputation :  a  tender  shoulder  we  have,  a 
tender  hand,  a  tender  foot ;  they  can  bear  nothing,  and 
do  nothing ;  nothing  can  touch  our  flesh,  nothing  can 
touch  our  idols,  our  ease,  or  our  estates,  but  we  shrink 
and  smart,  and  are  put  to  pain.  God  may  be  smitten, 
and  we  feel  it  not;  the  gospel  may  be  smitten,  the 
church  may  be  smitten,  conscience  may  be  smitten, 
and  it  moves  us  not.  We  can  fear  an  affliction,  fear  a 
reproach ;  0  that  we  so  much  feared  a  temptation  or  a 
sin !  We  cannot  lack  bread  but  we  feel  the  want ;  we 
cannot  want  clothes,  or  a  house,  or  a  friend,  but  we  feel 
it ;  we  cannot  want  our  sleep,  our  quiet,  our  pleasure, 
our  respect  from  men,  but  we  feel  it;  any  thing  that 
pinches  our  flesh  pierces  our  heart.  We  cannot  pine, 
or  languish  in  our  bodies,  but  we  feel  it ;  a  fever  or  an 
ague,  a  consumption,  dropsy,  or  any  bodily  sickness, 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  169 

0,  it  makes  us  sick  at  heart ;  a  froward  yoke-fellow, 
an  unthrifty  servant,  an  ill  neighbor,  a  scoff,  a  slight 
cannot  be  borne  ;  but  0,  how  much  sin  can  be  borne! 
While  our  flesh  will  hear  nothing,  0  how  much  can 
conscience  bear,  and  never  complain  ! 

Christians,  consider.  "When  our  flesh  must  be  thus 
caressed,  whatever  come  of  it — must  be  tenderly  fed, 
must  have  soft  raiment,  soft  lodging,  soft  usage — be 
dealt  gently  with,  though  to  maintain  it  conscience 
must  be  racked,  and  racked,  and  wasted;  when  our 
wills  cannot  be  crossed,  our  appetites  camiot  be  de- 
nied, but  a  tumult  follows,  the  soul  is  in  an  uproar, 
and  conscience  meanwhile  must  be  denied,  and  sent 
away  in  silence ;  when  the  word  works  no  more, 
when  the  prints  of  it  are  not  received,  the  power  of 
it  is  resisted ;  when  the  rod  works  no  more,  when 
our  stripes  make  no  sign,  when  the  lashes  on  our 
backs  touch  not  our  hearts ;  when  we  remain  so 
vain  and  so  wanton,  so  wilful,  carnal,  and  earthly, 
after  the  Lord  hath  been  preaching  and  chastising  us 
into  a  better  frame ;  when  we  stand  upon  our  terms, 
keep  our  distances,  our  animosities,  our  heats  and 
heights  of  spirit,  our  censurings,  our  quarrellings  one 
with  another,  Christian  with  Christian,  professor  with 
professor,  after  the  Lord  hath  been  beating  us  together 
to  make  us  friends,  and  all  to  teach  us  more  humility 
and  charity — is  this  our  brokenness  ?  Is  this  our  ten- 
derness, when  upon  any  of  the  Lord's  rougher  deal- 
ing with  us,  smiting  our  faces,  throwing  us  on  our 
backs,  trampling  us  in  the  dirt,  we  are  yet  no  more 
brought  on  our  knees  ?     Is  this  our  brokenness,  when 

Efertfen  Opm»<).  R 


170  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  Lord  hath  been  awakening  us  out  of  sleep,  putting 
his  spurs  and  goads  in  our  sides  to  quicken  us  on  our 
way;  calling  to  us,  "Arise,  sleepers,  stir  up  your  spir- 
its, sluggards,  mend  your  pace :  I  will  not  be  put  off 
as  I  have  been  ;  no  more  such  loitering  and  idling  and 
trifling  and  halting  as  hath  been ;  I  must  have  another 
manner  of  service,  of  praying  and  hearing  and  walking 
and  working,  than  hath  been  :  be  zealous  and  amend ; 
more  labor,  more  care,  more  watchfulness,  more  ac- 
tivity, more  of  the  spirit  and  soul  of  what  you  pro- 
fess ?"  "When  the  Lord  hath  been  thus  goading  and 
spurring  us  on,  and  though  our  flesh  feels,  yet  our 
hearts  will  not  feel,  nor  answer  the  goad  or  spur,  is 
this  an  evidence  of  tenderness  ? 

When  great  duties  are  little,  and  lesser  are  none ; 
when  great  sins  are  infirmities,  and  little  ones  are 
nothing ;  when  lying  and  defrauding,  when  false 
weights,  false  wares,  and  false  dealings,  when  de- 
faming, backbiting,  talebearing,  railing,  reviling,  do 
stand  for  little  more  than  ciphers ;  when  fellowship 
and  familiarity  with  evil  men  in  their  sins,  and 
compliance  with  or  connivance  at  their  wickedness ; 
when  sinful  courtings  and  complimentings  of  such,  to 
the  hardening  them  in  their  ways,  do  pass  for  virtues 
and  civilities ;  when  frothy,  wanton  discourse  and 
communication,  when  scoffing  and  making  a  sport 
at  the  sins  or  infirmities  of  others,  when  sinful,  vain 
jesting,  wherein  rather  conscience  than  wit  must  be 
denied — when  all  these  pass  for  our  ornaments  rather 
than  our  evils,  where  is  our  tenderness  ? 

When  upon  auditing  our  accounts,  examining  our 


A  HEART  OF  FLESH.  171 

books,  and  reckoning  up  our  scores,  where  a  talent  is 
owing,  we  bid  conscience,  "Take  thy  bill,  and  write 
down  a  shekel ;"  where  twenty  or  a  hundred  sins  are 
to  be  reckoned  for,  "  Take  thy  bill,  and  write  down 
ten,  or  but  one,  and  that  a  little  one :"  when  we  are 
so  free  in  multiplying  and  so  false  in  numbering  our 
iniquities,  where  is  our  tenderness  ? 

Well,  Christians,  the  Lord  hath  promised  a  tender 
heart,  to  make  these  stones  flesh  ;  and  something  pos- 
sibly is  done  already  upon  you  towards  it.  0  let  this 
sad  sight  now  laid  before  you,  this  view  of  what  is 
wanting,  have  some  influence  upon  you.  Let  sorrow 
that  no  more  is  done,  work  what  is  yet  undone ;  let 
your  unbrokenness  break  your  hearts ;  let  the  stone 
that  yet  remains  make  your  flesh  bleed.  If  you  yet 
feel  no  more,  may  you  at  least  feel  this — that  you 
feel  not. 


J72  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER   X. 

A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD. 

"The  Lord  thy  God  will  circumcise  thy  heart, 
and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul."  Deut.  30 : 6. 
Love  is  the  soul  of  the  new  creature ;  the  closing  of 
the  soul  with  God.  He  that  hath  most  of  God,  is 
most  a  Christian  ;  and  he  that  hath  most  of  love,  hath 
most  of  God.     God  is  love. 

In  treating  of  this  love  to  God,  we  shall  consider 
its  object,  and  its  act. 

I.  Its  object.  The  object  of  divine  love  is  God. 
God  is  good,  and  good  is  amiable.  God  is  all  good  : 
there  is  none  good  but  one,  that  is  God.  God  is  es- 
sentially good,  goodness  in  the  abstract ;  he  is  infi- 
nitely excellent,  he  is  all  perfection.  In  this  one 
attribute  all  the  rest  of  the  attributes  of  God  are  in- 
cluded, and  this  in  each  of  them.  However  the  Scrip- 
tures, speaking  to  our  capacities,  describe  God  and  his 
glorious  attributes  in  several  and  distinct  notions,  yet 
in  each  one  all  are  included  ;  each  one  is  infinite,  and 
infinite  perfection  is  essentially  all  perfection.  God  is 
originally  good,  the  fountain  and  pattern  of  all  that 
moral  good  which  is  in  his  creatures;  he  is  bountiful 
and  gracious,  ready  to  do  them  good ;  and  he  is  the 
felicitating  end,  or  the  final  blessedness  of  the  soul. 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.        173 

The  goodness  of  God  to  his  creatures  has  its  different 
and  various  appellations.  As  it  is  freely  bestowed,  it 
is  grace ;  as  it  respects  them  as  needy,  it  is  bounty ; 
as  in  misery,  it  is  mercy  and  compassion ;  as  provok- 
ing, it  is  patience  ;  as  it  intends  their  good,  it  is  love ; 
as  it  answers  both  their  necessities  and  capacities,  it 
is  all-sufficiency.  All  these,  his  bounty,  mercy,  com- 
passion, patience,  love,  all-sufficiency,  all  these  are  in 
one  word  his  goodness,  and  goodness  calls  for  love. 
The  object  of  this  love  is  God  :  particularly,  1.  God 
in  himself;  2.  God  in  Christ ;  3.  God  in  all  the  things 
of  God. 

1.  God  in  himself,  as  he  is  infinitely  excellent, 
and  so  worthy  of  all  love.  God  is  to  be  loved  in 
himself,  and  for  himself,  for  his  own  worthiness;  God 
is  good  in  himself,  and  therefore  to  be  loved  for  him- 
self. 

2.  God  in  Christ.  In  whom  alone,  considering 
us  as  sinners,  he  can  be  said  to  be  good  to  us.  There 
is  a  fourfold  incentive  of  love — perception,  proportion, 
propriety,  possession. 

Perception,  the  apprehension  or  understanding  of 
the  object  to  be  loved.  We  must  know  before  we 
can  love  :  now  God  cannot  be  seen  by  mortals ;  he 
dwelleth  in  light,  but  that  light  is  to  us  invisible. 
Christ  is  the  glass,  in  which  this  glory  may  be  seen. 
We  cannot  see  God  but  through  a  veil  of  flesh,  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ.  2  Cor.  4:6.  "No  man  hath 
seen  God  at  any  time;"  but  "the  Only  Begotten  of 
the  Father,"  who  is  in  the  bosom  of  the  Father,  he 
hath  revealed  him.     John  1 :  18. 


174  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Proportion.  And  there  is  a  double  proportion 
requisite ;  in  respect  to  quantity,  there  must  be  suffi- 
ciency ;  and  in  respect  to  quality,  there  must  be  suit- 
ableness. God  himself  is  proportioned  to  us,  consid- 
ered as  rational  creatures,  and  in  our  state  of  inno- 
cency — he  is  both  a  sufficient  and  a  suitable  good ; 
but  God  in  Christ  only  is  suited  to  us,  considered  as 
lapsed  creatures  in  a  state  of  sin.  God  in  Christ  is  a 
God  of  pity  and  compassion  to  us  ;  a  G  od  of  patience, 
a  God  of  mercy,  with  whom  is  plenteous  redemption. 
A  God  pardoning  iniquity,  and  passing  by  transgres- 
sion ;  loving  us  in  our  low  estate,  loving  us  and  pity- 
ing us,  loving  us  and  pardoning  us,  loving  us  and 
washing  us,  loving  us  and  saving  us  from  our  sins 
and  from  the  wrath  to  come.  And  such  love  is  the 
great  flame  that  kindles  love  ;  love  breaking  forth  out 
of  a  cloud  of  wrath  and  fury  and  displeasure  ;  abused 
love,  provoked  love,  and  yet  forgiving  love :  to  whom 
much  is  forgiven,  they  will  love  much. 

Propriety,  or  interest.  What  is  good,  good  for  us, 
and  our  own  good,  that  carries  our  hearts.  We  must 
love  our  own  good,  because  we  must  love  ourselves. 
Our  love  to  God  is  heightened  by  our  due  self-love. 
There  is  a  sinful  self-love,  when  either  we  love  that  for 
a  self  which  is  not  ourself,  when  we  love  our  flesh 
and  fleshly  interest,  or  when  we  love  ourselves  inor- 
dinately, more  than  God,  and  God  only  for  ourselves ; 
and  there  is  a  lawful  self-love,  when  we  love  ourselves 
in  the  Lord  and  for  the  Lord.  And  the  more  we  thus 
love  ourselves,  the  more  is  the  Lord  loved  by  us ;  and 
the  more  he  is  our  own,  the  more  love  he  has  from  us. 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE   THE  LORD.  175 

Now  in  Christ  the  Lord  is  our  God ;  our  own  God, 
even  our  own  God.  "  Thou  art  my  God,  and  I  will 
praise  thee.  Thou  art  my  God,  I  will  exalt  thee." 
Psa.  118:28.  The  Lord  is  God,  and  we  therefore 
love  him;  the  Lord  is  good,  gracious,  merciful,  and 
we  therefore  love  him,  yea,  and  ought  to  love  him, 
whether  he  be  ours  or  not ;  but  when  both  meet,  he 
is  God,  and  our  God;  he  is  good  and  our  good,  gra- 
cious, merciful,  all-sufficient — and  all  this  to  us:  hence 
is  our  love  made  perfect  in  lis. 

Possession.  We  can  love  a  distant,  an  absent 
good,  a  good  that  is  only  possible;  there  is  love  in 
hope,  but  the  nearer  any  good  is  to  us  that  is  really 
good,  the  more  attractive  and  acceptable  it  is.  It  is 
most  in  our  hearts  when  it  is  most  in  our  hands. 
Indeed,  those  things  which  are  only  fancied  and  finite 
good,  being  overrated  and  judged  to  be  better  than 
they  are,  are  loved  most  at  a  distance,  because  when 
they  come  to  hand  we  see  our  mistakes.  But  that 
which  is  what  it  seemed ;  much  more,  that  which  is 
above  our  thoughts,  beyond  our  expectations,  infinite 
good,  is  ever  the  dearer  to  us  the  nearer  it  comes. 
All  worldly  good  is  most  valued,  at  least  by  carnal 
hearts,  at  a  distance ;  they  promise  themselves  more 
enjoyment  in  it  than  it  has  to  give  them;  their  pos- 
session is  their  disappointment.  "While  they  lusted, 
they  idolized,  they  adored ;  but  when  they  have  tasted 
and  eaten,  it  comes  out  at  their  nostrils.  Or  else  they 
sit  down  with  the  shame  of  the  disappointed;  they 
are  either  surfeited,  or  hungry  still.  "  Is  this  all — 
all  you  can  do  for  me ;  all  the  pleasure  and  comfort 


176  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

I  shall  have  of  you  ?  Is  all  my  expectation  of  delight 
and  satisfaction  come  to  no  more  than  this  ?  Misera- 
ble comforters  are  you  all."  Possession  and  fruition 
are  the  proof  of  all  things.  And  vanity  once  tried  is 
the  less  loved.  But  God  being  an  all-sufficient,  in- 
comprehensible good,  the  nearer  to  us  he  is,  and  the 
more  he  is  ours,  the  more  we  prize  and  love  him; 
because  now  we  find  that  the  half  had  not  been 
told  us. 

Now  in  Christ,  we  have  not  only  a  propriety  in 
God,  but  in  some  degree  a  present  possession.  "  He 
that  hath  the  Son,  hath  the  Father  also."  We  see 
his  light,  we  feel  his  love,  we  taste  his  goodness,  we 
enjoy  his  presence,  we  have  God  with  us,  we  have 
God  in  us,  we  have  fellowship  with  him,  he  dwelleth 
in  us  and  we  in  him ;  and  hence  we  love,  and  herein 
we  rejoice. 

3.  In  all  the  things  of  God:  in  his  word,  ordi- 
nances, sabbaths,  saints,  in  graces,  duties,  in  all  his 
ways;  the  saints  love  God,  and  love  his  word;  it  is 
God  in  the  word  they  love;  they  love  God,  and  they 
love  ordinances,  and  sabbaths,  and  saints:  it  is  God 
in  all  these  they  love ;  they  love  the  ways,  and  works, 
and  all  the  dispensations  of  God,  and  it  is  God  in  them 
all  they  love;  they  see  God  in  every  thing,  and  they 
love  God  wherever  they  see  him.  They  look  on  all 
these  things  with  another  eye,  and  therefore  embrace 
them  with  another  heart  than  other  men.  The  saints' 
love  to  the  things  of  God,  is  their  love  to  God ;  for  it 
is  God  in  them  that  they  love;  their  love  to  them  is 
founded  either  on  their  participation  of  God,  or  rela- 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.  1/7 

tion  to  God.  They  love  the  things  of  God,  because 
they  are  the  offspring,  the  images,  and  the  chariots 
of  God. 

The  tilings  of  God  are  the  offspring  of  God ;  as 
the  saints  are  born  from  above,  so  all  the  things  of 
God  come  down  from  above,  and  therefore  may  also 
be  called,  as  the  apostle  styles  them,  things  above : 
"If  ye  be  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those  things  that 
are  above,  set  your  affection  on  things  above./'  Col. 
3:1,2.  Whatsoever  is  from  God,  and  belongs  to  his 
heavenly  kingdom,  is  divine  and  heavenly;  and  he 
that  loveth  him  that  begets,  therefore  loveth  those 
which  are  begotten,  and  whatsoever  procecdeth  from 
him. 

The  word  and  the  saints  are  the  images  of  God, 
the  character  and  impress  of  God  are  upon  them ;  the 
grace  in  the  saints,  and  the  holy  truths  in  the  word, 
are  the  very  face  of  Christ,  who  is  full  of  grace  and 
truth;  and  this  is  their  rule,  Love  God,  and  love  his 
image. 

The  things  of  God  are  the  chariots  of  God.  He 
that  makes  the  clouds  his  chariots,  makes  also  his  word, 
and  his  ordinances,  and  his  ministers  his  chariots, 
wherein  he  rides  down  into  those  lower  parts  to  give 
the  world  a  meeting.  When  ministers  come,  and  the 
word  comes  down,  God  comes  down  in  them  to  visit 
his  people :  as  it  was  said  of  Paul,  so  it  is  true  of 
Apollos,  and  Cephas,  and  all  the  dispensers  of  the  gos- 
pel, they  are  chosen  vessels  to  bear  his  name  before 
the  sons  of  men ;  and  as  they  are  the  chariots  in  which 
God  comes  down,  so  are  they  also  the  wagons  which 


178  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

he  has  sent  them,  to  fetch  them  up  to  himself.  In 
their  duties,  in  their  prayers,  in  their  praises,  the  saints 
send  up  their  hearts  unto  God.  Israel's  heart  leaped 
when  he  saw  the  wagons  which  Joseph  had  sent.  0, 
what  love  does  the  psalmist  express  to  the  house  and 
courts  of  the  Lord!  "How  amiable  are  thy  taber- 
nacles! I  was  glad  when  they  said  unto  me,  Let  us 
go  into  the  house  of  the  Lord."  He  was  glad  to  go 
thither,  because  thence  he  hoped  to  be  carried  higher, 
from  the  mountain  to  the  mansion — from  mount  Zion 
here  below,  to  Jerusalem  which  is  above. 

It  is  the  duty  and  the  delight  of  the  saints  to  be 
ascending  heavenwards :  they  are  dead  with  Christ, 
they  are  risen  with  Christ ;  and  it  is  not  as  they  would 
with  them,  but  when  they  are  ascending  up  with 
Christ:  they  are  dead  with  Christ  by  repentance  and 
humiliation;  they  are  risen  with  Christ  by  faith  and 
sanctification ;  and  they  ascend  with  Christ  by  love 
and  holy  affection :  this  is  their  chariot  of  fire,  a 
chariot  within  a  chariot,  that  through  duties  and 
ordinances  rides  up  in  its  own  flames  to  the  God  of 
love. 

Or,  if  you  will,  the  ordinances  of  God  are  our 
Jacob's  ladder  reaching  from  heaven  to  earth,  by 
which  angels  descend  and  souls  ascend.  God  comes 
down  and  hearts  go  up,  praises  go  up  and  blessings 
come  down.  Thou  hast  not  proved  what  an  ordi- 
nance is,  what  prayer  means,  or  preaching  means,  or 
sacraments  mean,  who  hast  not  seen  God  coming 
down,  nor  felt  thy  heart  ascending  by  them  :  he  that 
hath  felt  this  will  say,  Here  let  me  dwell ;  let  others 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE   THE  LORD.  179 

be  where  they  will,  among  their  flocks,  among  their 
herds,  upon  their  beds,  at  their  cups,  at  their  pleas- 
ures, or  in  their  houses ;  it  is  good  for  me  to  be  here. 

No  wonder,  Christians,  that  carnal  hearts  are  such 
strangers  to  the  word,  can  so  well  be  absent  from 
divine  Worship  and  ordinances;  preaching  and  pray- 
ing and  sabbaths  they  can  spare,  and  not  feel  their 
want;  what  wonder?  What  is  heaven  to  earth? 
What  is  God  to  flesh?  These  chariots  would  carry 
them  away  from  their  gods,  carry  them  nut  of  their 
own  country  into  a  strange  Land,  where  they  have 
neither  possession  nor  acquaintance.  But  0,  what  a 
sad  wonder  is  it,  that  saints  should  go  up  m>  often 
into  the  chariots,  and  yet  get  no  nearer  home ;  that 
they  should  still  be  so  much  on  the  earth,  that  have 
been  so  often  mounted  for  heaven ;  that  their  hearts 
should  still  be  on  the  dunghills,  whose  feet  are  so 
often  on  the  mountain  of  the  Lord ;  that  the  wagons 
should  be  so  often  sent,  down,  and  go  up  empty,  scarce 
a  heart  sent  up  in  them ;  yea,  that  they  should  be  so 
far  from  God,  when  God  is  among  them.  Where  is 
your  love,  Christians  ?  How  is  it  that  it  is  still  below  ? 
What  have  you  here  ?  Your  city  is  above,  your  home, 
is  above,  your  God,  your  Jesus,  your  treasure  is  aboi  e. 
Oh,  how  is  it,  that  where  your  treasure  is,  your  hearts 
are  not  also?  Hear  from  God,  and  God  not  with  the 
messenger!  send  up  to  heaven  your  eyes,  your  hands, 
your  prayers,  your  complaints,  your  promises,  and 
still  leave  your  hearts  below!  send  up  your  hearts  to 
heaven,  and  let  them  return  again  down  to  this  earth; 
remain  earth,  and  flesh,  and  filth,  and  vanity,  after 


180  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

so  much  converse  or  pretence  to  it,  with  the  holy  God 
of  spirits  !  Lovest  thou  God,  when  thou  canst  so  often 
go  where  he  is,  and  not  care  to  see  him;  or  if  thou 
meet  him,  canst  let  him  go  without  a  blessing ;  or  if 
he  bless  thee,  canst  go  presently  and  exchange  thy 
Father's  blessing  for  a  mess  of  pottage  ;  canst  lose  a 
duty  in  a  dinner,  the  comforts  and  revivings  of  a  ser- 
mon, of  a  sacrament,  of  a  sabbath,  in  an  hour's  car- 
nal converse  with  the  world?  Did  we  love  our  God 
more,  certainly  we  should  be  more  with  him,  and  to 
better  purpose.  His  meetings  would  be  more  precious, 
and  the  fruits  of  them  more  lasting.  We  should  nei- 
ther go  away  without  his  blessing,  nor  throw  it  away 
when  we  had  got  it.    Thus  much  for  the  object  of  love. 

II.  Its  act.  Love  is  a  natural  affection.  The 
love  of  God  is  the  soul's  clasping  or  closing  with  the 
Lord.  It  is  the  expansion,  or  going  out  of  the  heart 
in  its  strength  after  God — the  uniting  or  knitting  of 
the  soul  with  God,  with  a  complacency  and  acqui- 
escence in  him.  There  are  three  things  included  in 
this  love. 

1.  The  strength  of  the  heart  making  out  after  God. 
This  is  that  which  is  commonly  called  our  love  of  de- 
sire, the  breathing,  or  thirsting,  or  panting  of  the  heart 
after  God,  Psa.  42  : 1 ;  the  heart's  working  God-wards 
with  its  whole  might ;  loving  him  above  all  things, 
desiring  him  above  all  things,  with  the  greatest  vigor 
and  intentness,  and  as  its  complete  and  adequate 
object.  God  is  its  all.  "Whom  have  I  in  heaven 
but  thee,  and  there  is  none  upon  earth  that  I  desire 
besides  thee," 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.        181 

2.  The  uniting  of  the  soul  icitli  God.  Our  cleav- 
ing to  him.  By  love  heart  cleaves  to  heart,  soul 
cleaves  to  soul.  It  is  said  of  Shechem,  Gen.  34 : 3, 
that  his  heart  clave  unto  Dinah.  He  loved  her  with 
his  heart,  she  was  gotten  into  his  heart,  and  there  his 
heart  holds  her.  Barnabas  exhorts  the  church,  that 
with  purpose  of  heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the 
Lord.  Acts  11  :  23.  It  is  the  knitting  of  the  soul 
with  God.  It  is  said,  1  Sam.  18 : 1,  that  the  soul  of 
Jonathan  was  knit  with  the  soul  of  David,  and  Jona- 
than loved  him  as  his  own  soul.  And  of  Jacob,  Gen. 
44 :  30,  to  express  his  tender  love  to  Benjamin,  it  is 
said,  his  life  was  bound  up  in  the  lad's  life.  Of  the 
multitude  of  believers  we  read,  Acts  4  :  32,  that  they 
were  all  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul.  Their  love  had 
knit  them  into  one.  By  love  we  are  one  with  God, 
and  he  with  us.  It  is  the  soul's  willing  of  God,  if  I 
may  so  speak — willing  of  God  to  itself,  and  willing 
itself  and  all  to  God.  All  praises,  all  honor,  all  bless- 
edness to  him.  "  Be  thou  mine,  Lord  ;  nothing  less, 
nothing  else.  Be  thou  mine,  I  need  no  less,  I  desire 
no  more.  Let  me  be  thine,  be  to  thee,  be  for  thee, 
thy  servant,  thy  sacrifice,  or  what  thou  wilt ;  and  let 
all  mine  be  thine — my  heart,  and  my  hand,  and  my 
tongue,  and  my  time,  and  my  interest.  Let  all  thine 
be  to  thee ;  thy  heavens  and  thy  earth,  with  every 
person  and  every  creature  in  them.  Let  every  heart, 
every  mouth,  every  limb,  every  creature,  be  a  praise 
to  the  Lord.  Let  the  Lord  live,  and  blessed  be  my 
rock ;  let  the  God  of  my  salvation  be  exalted.  Let 
every  knee  bow,  let  every  tongue  confess  unto  God." 


182  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

This  is  our  love  of  union,  as  it  is  called.  And  it  is 
the  very  essence  of  saving  love,  wherein  are  included 
both  our  accepting  God,  with  the  surrender  or  resigna- 
tion of  ourselves  unto  him,  and  our  wishing  and  will- 
ing all  glory,  dominion,  and  blessedness  to  him.  And 
so  here  also  is  our  love  of  benevolence.  All  these 
may  be  included  in  that  opening  of  the  heart  men- 
tioned Acts  16 :  14.  It  is  there  said  that  the  Lord 
opened  Lydia's  heart.  The  heart  is  then  savingly 
opened,  when  it  freely  lets  out  itself  upon  God,  all  its 
streams  run  in  to  the  Lord,  and  when  it  takes  God 
into  the  depth  of  the  soul.  The  heart  thus  opened  to 
the  Lord,  when  God  is  come  in,  will  close  upon  him. 
' '  Abide  with  me ;  thou  hast  entered  into  thy  habita- 
tion. 0  let  this  be  thy  dwelling  for  ever."  Only  this 
must  be  further  added,  that  with  God  it  takes  in  all 
things  of  God — his  word,  his  ordinances,  his  ways, 
and  all  his  dispensations.  With  his  love,  his  laws ; 
with  his  comforts,  his  counsels ;  with  his  counsels, 
his  corrections.  "With  thee,"  it  says,  "I  accept  of 
all  that  is  thine,  both  thy  yoke  and  thy  cross ;  thy- 
self, Lord,  thy  love,  Lord,  and  whatever  thou  wilt 
with  thee." 

3.  The  soul's  taking  pleasure,  and  taking  up  its 
rest  in  him.  This  is  called  our  love  of  complacency. 
Where  we  love,  there  will  be  a  delightful  stay  of  the 
mind  upon  God.  The  object  dwells  in  the  eye ;  we 
are  still  looking  where  we  love.  "When  I  awake,  I 
am  still  with  thee  ;"  there  our  thoughts  are,  of  him  is 
our  meditation  all  the  day  long. 

My  meditation  of  him  shall  be  sweet.     He  that 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE   THE  LORD.  183 

loves,  dwelleth  in  God  :  "I  will  dwell  in  the  house  of 
the  Lord  for  ever."  And  why  there  ?  Because  there 
our  God  dwells,  and  therefore  there  the  soul  takes  up 
its  dwelling.  There  is  also  an  acquiescence  of  the 
heart  in  him.  "Return  unto  thy  rest,  0  my  soul." 
But  this  is  not  felt  till  love  hath  obtained  its  object ; 
till  the  soul  feels  itself  to  love,  and  to  have  what  it 
loves ;  to  love,  and  to  be  beloved  ;  to  accept,  and  to 
be  accepted  of  God.  When  it  comes  to  this,  then  I 
have  enough.  "I  am  my  Beloved's,  and  my  Beloved 
is  mine."  And  here  is  the  sweetness  of  religion,  the 
marrow  and  fatness  of  godliness,  the  pleasure  of  love. 
"When  I  love,  I  can  rest ;  when  I  can  rest,  I  can  re- 
joice ;  when  I  feel  myself  to  love,  I  know  I  am  be- 
loved ;  and  then  what  is  there  wanting  ?  Where  love 
is  a  stranger,  joy  is  not  known ;  we  can  never  take 
comfort  in  any  thing  but  in  that  which  we  love. 
When  take  we  pleasure  in  eating  but  when  we  have 
food  that  we  love  ?  What  is  a  friend,  or  a  wife,  or  a 
child,  when  we  love  them  not  ?  What  is  society  or 
communion,  where  love  has  not  first  made  a  union  ? 
Can  two  walk  together  except  they  be  agreed  ?  with 
little  comfort  surely  ;  they  would  be  better  pleased, 
were  they  parted  asunder.  It  is  love  that  is  the  pleas- 
ure of  our  lives.  It  is  love  that  makes  heaven  sweet ; 
there  we  shall  have  our  fill  of  joy,  because  there  we 
have  our  fill  of  love.  Heaven  would  be  no  heaven, 
God  himself  could  not  be  the  joy,  if  he  were  not  the 
love  of  his  saints.  What  bitter  draughts  will  love 
sweeten !  Sin  and  lusts  and  all  the  filth  of  the  flesh 
are  sweet  morsels  to  carnal  hearts  ;  it  is  the  meat  they 


184  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

love ;  G-od  is  nothing,  Christ  is  nothing  to  them.  "What 
is  thy  Beloved  more  than  another  ?  Religion  is  a  bond- 
age to  them,  holiness  a  weariness ;  to  them  not  the 
labors  only,  but  the  joys  of  the  saints  are  empty  and 
unsavory.  There  are  no  true  feasts  but  love-feasts. 
Love  will  make  any  thing  relish.  When  it  puts  such 
a  sweetness  into  sin  that  even  death  and  hell  will  go 
down  with  carnal  hearts  for  its  sake,  0  what  a  feast 
will  love  make  of  holiness  and  glory!  Get  love  to 
Christ,  love  to  religion,  and  you  will  never  demand, 
Where  is  the  blessedness,  where  is  the  sweetness  of 
religion  ? 

Love  will  sweeten  both  the  comforts  and  the  ex- 
ercises of  religion  ;  it  will  make  duties  sweet,  yea,  and 
sufferings  sweet :  there  are  two  things  that  are  natu- 
rally sweet  to  it — to  please,  and  to  praise. 

(1.)  He  that  loves,  will  please  the  one  whom  he 
loves.  How  careful  are  such  to  watch  themselves, 
that  they  grieve  not  their  friend ;  what  study  does 
love  put  them  upon  to  find  out  what  is  grateful  and 
acceptable — acceptable  looks,  acceptable  language, 
acceptable  entertainment.  "What  wilt  thou,  Lord? 
what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  be  ?  a  servant,  a  door- 
keeper, a  servant  of  servants  for  thee  ?  I  will  be 
nothing  but  what  thou  wilt,  any  thing  that  thou  wilt 
ha-e  me.  What  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do,  Lord  ?  let 
me  know  thy  will,  appoint  me  my  work.  0  that  my 
ways  were  so  directed  that  I  might  keep  thy  statutes. 
What  wilt  thou  have  of  me  ?  Wilt  thou  have  mine 
idols,  mine  ease,  or  my  honor,  or  my  pleasure,  or  my 
house,  or  my  estate  ?     Wilt  thou  have  mine  Isaacs  ? 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.       185 

Is  there  any  one  thing  clearer  to  me  than  another,  that 
might  be  an  offering  to  the  Lord  ?  Wilt  thou  have 
my  liberty  or  my  life  ?  Behold,  all  is  at  thy  feet :  I 
can  keep  back  nothing  thou  callest  for." 

Hence,  love  is  said  to  be  the  fulfilling  of  the  law; 
there  is  in  this  good-will  radically  every  good  work. 
It  would  walk  worthy  of  the  Lord  unto  all  pleasing, 
being  fruitful  in  every  good  work.  Love  is  generous, 
it  would  do  great  things,  noble  things :  What  shall  I 
do  for  him  whom  my  soul  honors  ?  0  for  a  gift  that 
might  be  worthy  of  him  !  but  I  have  nothing,  my 
goodness  extendeth  not  to  thee.  It  would  give  more 
than  it  owes ;  but  where  it  cannot  do  so,  where  it 
cannot  be  generous,  yet  it  would  be  just;  it  would 
level  all  accounts,  and  pay  all  debts  ;  love  would  have 
nothing  but  love  owing.  It  would  give  to  all  their 
due  ;  it  would  not  die  in  the  debt  of  a  servant,  of  a 
stranger ;  much  less  would  it  take  from  the  God  of 
glory.  This  is  the  daily  charge  of  love,  Pay  what 
thou  owest.  Its  receipts  and  returns  are  a  pleasure 
to  it ;  any  tlnng  that  comes  down  from  heaven,  and 
every  present  it  has  to  send  thither,  is  a  joy  to  love. 
This  is  the  message  that  both  speak,  Happy  soul,  thou 
lovest  and  art  beloved.  It  catches  at  all  opportunities 
to  send  up  messages  of  love,  and  knows  no  fitter 
messenger  to  send  by,  than  the  hand  of  duty ;  every 
duty  is  dispatched  with  this  superscription,  The  trib- 
ute of  love. 

Love  is  the  spring  that  sets  all  our  wheels  a  going, 
the  mould  in  which  all  our  works  are  formed,  the 
fire  in  the  heart  that  vents  itself  in  our  words  and 


186  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ways.  "  The  fire  burned ;  then  spake  I  with  my 
tongue."  Love  is  to  a  saint  what  malice  is  to  Satan, 
that  which  gives  force  to  all  his  actings.  Satan's 
temptations  are  called  fiery  darts ;  and  this,  not  only 
because  they  are  headed  and  barbed  with  fire — like 
poisoned  arrows,  they  burn  where  they  hit ;  they  set 
sin  on  fire,  they  set  the  soul  on  fire,  burning  with  lust 
and  wickedness — but  because  they  are  winged  with 
fire,  and  forced  with  fire.  The  bullet  is  fired  out  of 
the  gun,  and  therefore  it  flies  so  fiercely.  It  is  the 
malice  of  Satan's  heart  that  fires  out  all  his  darts. 
What  malice  doth  with  Satan,  that  doth  love  with 
saints.  It  sets  the  heart  in  a  flame  of  holy  zeal  and 
activity  for  God:  "His  word  was  in  my  heart  as  a 
burning  fire ;  I  was  weary  with  forbearing."  Jer. 
20  :  9.  A  heart  of  love  is  weary,  not  of  action,  but  of 
idleness ;  weary  with  forbearing,  not  with  doing ;  never 
weary  of  doing  much,  ever  weary  of  doing  nothing. 
"0  God,  my  heart  is  fixed,  my  heart  is  fixed,"  saith 
the  psalmist;  "I  will  sing,  and  give  thanks."  Love 
will  add,  0  God,  my  heart  is  fixed,  my  heart  is 
fixed  ;  there  is  a  flame  kindled  ;  my  heart  burnetii  in 
holy  desires  and  zeal  for  thee.  And  where  love  hath 
set  the  heart  a  burning,  the  heart  will  set  the  hand  a 
working  and  the  feet  a  running. 

(2.)  He  that  loves,  will  praise  him  whom  he  loves. 
Praise  is  comely,  and  praise  is  a  pleasure  to  the  up- 
right in  heart.  It  is  the  delight  of  love  to  be  speaking 
of  the  perfections,  of  the  virtues,  of  the  beauties,  of 
the  excellences  of  its  beloved.  The  spouse  in  the 
book  of  Songs,  whose  language  is  all  love,  hath  her 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.       187 

heart  so  full  that  her  lips  overflow  with  the  mention 
of  the  excellences  of  Christ :  My  Beloved  is  white 
and  ruddy,  the  chiefest  among  ten  thousand.  His 
head  is  fine  gold,  his  eyes  dove's  eyes,  his  cheeks  a 
bed  of  spices,  his  lips  arc  lilies,  his  hands  arc  gold 
rings,  his  legs  pillars  of  marble,  his  countenance  ex- 
cellent, his  mouth  sweet ;  yea,  he  is  altogether  lovely : 
this  is  my  Beloved,  and  this  is  my  Friend,  0  daugh- 
ters of  Jerusalem.  Sol.  Song  5.  "  Who  is  a  God  like 
unto  thee,  glorious  in  holiness,  fearful  in  praises,  doing 
wonders  ?  Great  is  the  Lord,  and  greatly  to  be 
praised  in  the  city  of  our  God.  Thy  mercy,  0  Lord, 
is  in  the  heavens,  thy  faithfulness  reacheth  into  the 
clouds.  Thy  righteousness  is  like  the  great  moun- 
tains, thy  judgments  are  a  great  deep.  How  excel- 
lent is  thy  loving-kindness,  0  Lord  !  therefore  the  sons 
of  men  put  their  trust  under  the  shadow  of  thy  wings. 
I  will  speak  of  the  glorious  honor  of  thy  majesty,  and 
of  thy  wondrous  works.  The  Lord  is  gracious,  full 
of  compassion,  slow  to  anger,  and  of  great  mercy 
The  Lord  is  good  to  all,  and  his  tender  mercies  are 
over  all  his  works.  Let  all  thy  works  praise  thee, 
0  Lord  ;  let  the  saints  bless  thee ;  let  them  speak  of 
the  glory  of  thy  kingdom,  and  talk  of  thy  power  ;  let 
them  abundantly  utter  the  memory  of  thy  goodness, 
and  sing  of  thy  righteousness."  0  my  God,  thou  art 
all  love,  all  goodness,  all  grace,  all  glory.  0  let  thy 
servant  be  all  praise  !  Let  this  heart  be  an  altar,  and 
every  service  a  sacrifice ;  let  this  mouth  be  a  trum- 
pet, and  every  word  a  psalm ;  let  my  breath  be  as 
incense,  and  every  member  a  censer.     Let  all  that  is 


188  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

within  me,  my  soul,  with  all  its  powers — let  all  that 
is  without  me,  my  body,  with  all  its  members,  shout 
for  joy,  and  sing  forth  the  high  praises  of  God.  This 
is  the  voice  of  love. 

And  thus  you  have  another  excellence  of  the  new 
heart  laid  open  to  your  view,  love — a  heart  to  love. 

Christians,  prize  this  precious  grace,  prize  it,  and 
you  will  write  down  this  word  also  among  the  great 
and  precious  promises ;  and  if  you  would  prize  it 
aright,  take  your  estimate  of  it  from  its  worth  and 
its  want,  as  we  prize  jewels  according  to  their  excel- 
lence and  their  rarity. 

(l.j  Prize  it  according  to  its  worth  and  excellence. 
"Why,  what  is  the  worth?  "  If  a  man  would  give  all 
the  substance  of  his  house  for  love,  it  would  be  con- 
temned." The  whole  world  is  not  of  sufficient  value 
to  be  a  price  for  love ;  no,  it  must  come  by  gift,  it  is 
not  to  be  bought  for  money ;  love  is  worth  as  much 
as  a  soul,  and  that  is  more  than  all  the  world.  "  What 
shall  it  profit  a  man  to  gain  the  whole  world,  and  lose 
his  own  soul  ?"  Love  is  as  much  worth  as  all  religion ; 
it  is  the  soul  and  the  substance  of  all  religion ;  all  our 
graces,  duties,  and  exercises  are  only  valued  according 
to  the  love  that  is  in  them.  What  is  knowledge,  faith, 
hope,  or  patience,  without  love?  What  is  prayer,  fast- 
ing, or  alms,  without  charity  ?  They  are  worth  noth- 
ing, shall  I  say?  nay,  they  are  nothing;  if  I  had  all 
knowledge  and  all  faith,  and  were  all  prayer  and  all 
labor  and  all  suffering,  and  had  not  charity,  I  were 
nothing.  Love  is  worth  as  much  as  heaven  is  worth, 
as  Christ  and  God  are  worth  to  us.     God  is  love,  and 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE   THE  LORD.  189 

God  is  not  in  us,  if  love  be  not.  Dost  thou  prize  thy 
substance?  Is  thy  house,  or  thy  money,  or  thy  land, 
any  thing  to  thee  ?  Dost  thou  value  thy  soul  ?  Is 
religion,  is  heaven,  is  Christ,  is  God  himself  of  any 
account  to  thee  ?  Then  prize  the  love  of  God.  Without 
love,  God  is  no  God  to  thee,  Christ  is  no  Christ  to  thee, 
heaven  is  no  heaven  for  thee ;  better  thou  hadst  no 
soul,  no  being,  than  no  love.  0  prize  the  love  of  God, 
prize  and  seek,  prize  and  pray;  pray  as  for  thy  life,  as 
for  thy  soul,  as  for  thine  everlasting  kingdom,  "Lord, 
let  me  love  thee."  Get  love,  and  get  all :  love,  and 
thou  wilt  be  holy;  love,  and  thou  wilt  be  humble; 
love,  and  thou  wilt  be  fruitful ;  love,  and  thou  wilt 
please,  praise,  and  enjoy  thy  God  ;  love,  and  thou  wilt 
fear,  serve,  suffer,  and  die  for  him ;  love,  and  thou 
shalt  live.  Prize  love,  prize  it  according  to  its  worth. 
(2.)  Prize  it  also  according  to  its  rarity.  Things 
excellent  are  rated  something  the  more  for  their  scarc- 
ity ;  scarcity  raises  the  market:  "The  word  of  the 
Lord  was  precious  in  those  days,"  1  Sam.  3:1,  that 
is,  when  there  was  a  famine  of  the  word,  when  there- 
was  no  open  vision.  0  were  the  love  of  God  as  pre- 
cious as  it  is  rare !  What  a  spiritless  carcass  is  the 
religion  of  many  professors !  what  has  become  of  the 
soul  of  it  ?  Oh,  we  freeze  in  our  duties,  we  freeze  in 
our  devotions,  we  are  almost  frozen  out  of  them  all ; 
we  have  a  sacrifice  left,  what  fire  is  there  to  offer  it 
up?  "The  God  that  answereth  by  fire,  let  him  be 
God,"  saith  Elijah ;  the  heart  that  asketh  by  fire,  that 
ascendeth  in  fire,  let  that  be  the  heart  for  God  :  "Be- 
hold the  wood  and  the  fire  ;  but  where  is  the  lamb  for 


190  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

the  sacrifice  ?"  We  may  say,  "  Behold  the  wood  and 
the  sacrifice ;  but  where  is  the  fire  to  offer  it  up  ?"  Our 
spirits  have  taken  a  cold,  the  chill  of  them  appears  in 
all  our  duties.  Love,  where  dwellest  thou  ?  Zeal  of 
God,  where  is  thy  abode  ?  How  many  houses  must 
we  search,  how  many  hearts  must  we  walk  through, 
ere  we  find  thy  habitation  ?  The  apostle  tells  the 
Romans,  that  they  have  "a  zeal  of  God,  but  not  ac- 
cording to  knowledge."  Rom.  10  :  2.  We  have  the 
knowledge  of  God,  but  0,  where  is  the  zeal?  "The 
zeal  of  thy  house,"  saith  the  psalmist,  "hath  eaten 
me  up  ;"  but  is  not  that  eater  eaten  ?  The  house  has 
burned  up  the  fire,  or  if  there  be  any  fire  left,  is  it 
not  strange  fire  ?  Not  the  fire  of  love,  but  of  lust,  of 
pride,  or  covetousness,  or  that  wild-fire  of  envy  and 
contention  that  heats  our  spirits  ?  Jehu  was  also  on 
fire  against  the  house  of  Ahab  :  "  Come,  see  my  zeal 
for  the  Lord  of  hosts."  That  fire  was  fury,  not  love  ; 
or  if  it  was  love,  it  was  self-love,  not  the  love  of  God, 
that  made  all  that  flame :  such  hearts  are  like  the 
evil  tongue,  "set  on  fire  of  hell."  James  3  :  6.  Such 
heats  are  not  from  above,  but  are  earthly,  sensual, 
devilish ;  we  freeze  still,  while  we  thus  fry ;  our  pre- 
ternatural heats  have  extinguished  the  supernatural. 
0  how  little  kindly  warmth  do  we  find  in  our 
spirits !  Do  we  feel  our  hearts  working  upwards, 
ascending  in  our  flames  ?  We  all  pretend  to  love ; 
but  consider,  are  our  hearts  going  out  in  their 
strength  after  God  ?  We  wish  well  to  his  name  and 
interest,  we  wish  he  were  ours,  we  wish  ourselves 
his  :  0,  if  wishing  were  loving,  what  Christians  should 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.  191 

we  be !  But  doth  the  kingdom  of  God  suffer  violence  ? 
Who  are  they  that  so  run,  as  if  they  would  take  God 
by  force,  take  heaven  by  force  ?  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  may  offer  violence  if  it  will,  and  take  us  by 
force  ;  but  how  little  violence  does  it  suffer.  "We  say 
we  love  God  ;  but  is  there  not  something  else  we  love 
more  ?  We  desire  to  be  holy ;  but  is  there  not  some-' 
thing  else  we  desire  more  ? 

0  how  few  hearty  friends  has  Christ  in  the  world, 
and  how  little  love  from  these  few ;  so  little  that  we 
ourselves  cannot  tell  whether  it  be  any  thing  or  noth- 
ing :  how  hard  are  we  put  to  it.  What  a  narrow 
search  must  we  make,  how  many  arguments  must 
we  consult,  how  many  marks  must  we  consider  ere 
wo  can  prove  we  love  him,  and  yet  at  last  arc  still 
in  doubt  whether  we  love  him  or  not. 

When  we  love  our  friends,  our  wives,  our  chil- 
dren, we  can  feel  that  we  love  them;  when  we  love 
our  ease,  or  our  estates,  or  our  liberties,  we  can  feel 
that  we  love  them ;  but  our  God,  we  cannot  tell 
whether  we  love  him  or  not.  How  few  of  us  can 
boldly  make  our  appeal  to  him,  "Lord,  thou  knowest 
that  I  love  thee  !" 

0,  how  many  wounds  does  Christ  receive  in  the 
house  of  his  friends ;  how  many  slights  must  he  put 
up  with ;  how  often  when  he  has  sat  down  in  his  own 
place  in  the  highest  room,  have  we  said  to  him,  "  Give 
this  man  place,  give  this  friend  or  this  business  place," 
and  so  made  him  take  the  lower  room! 

How  hath  he,  when  he  has  come  to  our  doors — 
his  love  has  often  brought  him  thither— how  often  has 


192  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

he  stood,  and  knocked,  and  called,  "Open  to  me,  my 
love,  my  sister;"  and  there  been  made  to  stand  and 
wait,  when  strangers  have  been  brought  in,  and  taken 
up  all  the  rooms !  The  world  can  never  come  out  of 
season,  but  Christ  must  wait  his  seasons  when  he 
can  find  us  at  leisure ;  if  there  be  any  other  guest 
with  us,  our  Lord  must  wait:  "Go  thy  way  for  this 
time ;  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I  will  call  for 
thee."  How  often  have  we  agreed  and  appointed  to 
meet  the  Lord  at  such  an  hour,  in  our  chamber,  in 
our  closet,  to  have  converse  and  communion  with  him 
in  duty,  and  if  any  thing  come  in  to  carry  us  another 
way,  then  we  cry,  "I  pray  thee,  have  me  excused;" 
or,  if  we  do  keep  our  time,  and  shut  in  ourselves  with 
the  Lord,  and  sit  down  to  duty,  what  a  multitude  of 
thoughts  presently  fall  a  knocking  at  our  doors  !  and 
away  our  hearts  go  presently  with  them  to  the  ends 
of  the  earth,  and  leave  nothing  but  our  bodies  behind 
with  the  Lord.  0  were  our  love  stronger,  our  cries 
would  be  louder,  and  would  drown  the  noise  of  these 
knockings,  that  they  would  not  be  heard  nor  heeded ;  it 
would  command  silence  to  every  impertinent  thought : 
"  I  charge  you,  0  daughters,  that  you  stir  not,  that 
you  disturb  not  my  Beloved  and  my  soul."  More  love 
would  command  our  attendance  upon  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  would  gird  up  the  loins  of  the  mind,  and 
gather  in  all  its  scattered  messengers,  saying,  "  Come, 
all  ye  powers  of  my  soul,  come  and  do  your  homage, 
come  and  help  in  the  service  of  my  God." 

0,  at  what  distance  are  we  content  to  live  from 
the  Lord,  sometimes  for  many  days  together !    Our 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.  193 

souls  and  our  God  are  grown  strange,  and  yet  we  can 
be  merry  and  quiet;  we  can  be  without  the  presence 
of  God,  and  yet  never  miss  it ;  not  a  smile  from  his 
face,  nor  a  look  of  love  from  us  to  him,  and  yet  no 
trouble  follows.  The  sun  may  be  eclipsed,  or  under 
a  cloud,  and  yet  no  darkness  upon  our  spirits ;  we  do 
not  walk  in  darkness  when  we  have  no  light ;  sorrow 
and  sadness  is  as  far  from  us,  as  God  is  from  us;  we 
can  warm  ourselves  at  our  own  fires,  and  rejoice  in 
the  light  of  our  own  sparks,  as  if  these  were  the  sun. 
"We  can  do  as  well  in  a  mist,  as  in  the  sunshine;  day 
and  night  are  both  alike  to  us.  The  children  of  the 
bride-chamber  do  not  fast,  but  can  feast  and  make 
merry  when  the  bridegroom  is  taken  from  them ;  their 
carnal  contentments  they  can  make  a  shift  with  to 
supply  the  room  of  their  Lord.  Can  we  not  sometimes 
go  where  our  Lord  feeds,  and  never  find  him — go  to 
pray,  or  go  to  hear,  or  go  to  a  sacrament,  and  the 
Lord  never  meet  us  there,  and  yet  can  return  well 
enough  satisfied  ?  When  we  thus  want  communion 
with  God,  and  can  want  it,  where  is  our  love?  what 
love  is  that  which  can  so  well  bear  the  absence  of  its 
beloved?  "Call  me  no  more  Naomi,  pleasant,  but 
call  me  Marah,  bitter;  'I  went  out  full,  but  I  return 
empty' — fall  of  grace,  full  of  joy,  because  full  of  the 
Lord;  but  behold,  all  is  gone,  my  husband  is  lost,  my 
God  is  departed  from  me.  Call  me  no  more  Naomi, 
but  call  me  Marah,  for  the  Almighty  has  dealt  bit- 
terly with  me,  has  hid  his  face  from  me:  for  these 
things  I  weep;  mine  eyes,  mine  eyes  run  down  with 
tears,  because  the  Comforter  that  should  relieve  mv 


194  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

soul  is  far  from  me :"  such  are  the  tears  of  love  for 
her  absent  Lord. 

0,  how  little  conscience  is  there  made  of  bestowing 
that  on  the  Lord  which  we  have  bestowed  on  him ! 
"We  give,  and  take  back ;  we  pretend  to  have  given 
all  to  God,  but  are  we  not  often  taking  away  what 
we  have  given,  and  bestowing  it  elsewhere  ?  Love 
would  have  all  running  unto  God ;  but  0,  what  waste 
is  there  made  of  our  time  and  other  talents,  which, 
were  they  well  husbanded,  would  come  to  much,  and 
be  given  to  the  Lord !  AVhen  so  many  days  and  hours 
run  away,  and  no  account  is  taken  of  them  on  what  or 
on  whom  they  are  consumed ;  when  our  eyes  and  our 
ears  and  hands  and  tongues,  which  were  made  for 
God,  permit  the  devil  and  lust  so  often  to  have  the 
using  of  them ;  when  dress  and  appetite  and  friends 
and  companions  must  carry  away  what  should  be 
spent  on  God  and  souls;  when  what  should  be  allowed 
for  religion  and  charity  must  be  at  the  disposal  of 
pride,  prodigality,  and  gluttony;  when  our  prayers, 
our  fasting,  our  preaching,  hearing,  and  all  our  duties, 
must  become  sacrifices  to  our  lust;  when  our  idols 
are  suffered  to  devour  the  sacrifices  of  the  Lord ;  when 
our  pride  and  fleshly  ends  must  have  the  offering  and 
eating  of  our  sacrifices,  must  make  our  prayers,  and 
preach  our  sermons,  and  keep  our  fasts,  and  give  our 
alms,  and  wear  the  credit  and  honor  of  them  as  its 
own  crown — when  God  is  thus  robbed,  and  we  let  the 
thief  run  away  with  all,  and  he  is  never  pursued  or 
questioned,  0  where  is  our  love? 

0,  how  little  pleasure  do  we  take  in  the  Lord! 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.        195 

What  a  weariness  is  it  to  us  to  wait  upon  him ;  how- 
glad  are  we  when  we  come  hack  from  the  house  of 
the  Lord !  When  we  rise  from  our  knees,  and  come 
out  of  our  closets ;  when  the  sabbaths  are  gone,  and 
the  new  moons  are  over,  and  we  make  our  returns 
from  heaven  to  earth,  how  much  work  have  we  to 
keep  our  hearts  near  the  Lord,  how  do  they  slink 
away  ere  we  are  aware.  And  while  we  arc  in  his 
presence,  how  seldom  do  we  rejoice  in  his  pres- 
ence !  What  hungry  meals,  what  meagre  feasts  do 
we  make  before  the  Lord!  We  relish  not  his  dain- 
ties; his  wine  is  but  lees,  his  marrow  and  his  fat 
things  are  but  leanness  to  our  souls.  A  little  love 
would  sweeten  every  drop,  would  season  every  morsel 
that  comes  from  his  table — would  make  our  very  fasts 
to  be  pleasant  bread.  We  feed  upon  the  dish  or  the 
trencher,  and  not  the  meat;  on  the  bone,  and  not  the 
marrow :  ordinances,  and  the  external  exercises  of 
religion,  are  but  the  bone,  or  the  shell,  or  the  dish — it 
is  God  that  is  the  kernel,  the  marrow,  and  fatness. 
How  little  communion  have  we  with  the  Lord,  in 
our  approaches  to  him ;  and  how  little  sweetness  do 
we  find  in  the  little  we  have !  Communion  is  the 
pleasure  of  love,  and  love  is  the  sweetness  of  com- 
munion. "  Now  I  am  where  I  would  be.  0,  how 
amiable  are  thy  tabernacles !  Very^leasant  art  thou 
to  me,  0  Lord;"  this  is  the  voice  of  love.  Had  we 
more  love,  we  should  be  more  spiritual;  and  spiritual 
things  would  be  more  grateful  to  spiritual  hearts. 
Divine  love  is  like  the  fire,  it  rarities  and  changes 
hearts  into  its  own  likeness,  and  then  there  is  happi- 


19G  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ness.  0,  we  are  carnal,  and  that  is  enough  to  evi- 
dence that  there  is  little  of  the  love  of  God  abiding 
in  us. 

Consider  these  things,  and  you  will  see  that  love 
is  a  rarity — there  is  but  little  true  love  in  the  world. 
0  prize  the  love  of  God ;  let  its  want  make  it  prized : 
shall  it  be  so  rare,  and  yet  so  cheap?  prize  it,  and 
press  on  after  it. 

What  do  these  hearts  below?  are  they  not  still 
below  ?  so  cold,  such  clods  of  clay,  and  yet  above ! 
so  carnal,  so  sensual,  and  yet  in  heaven !  so  hungry, 
and  so  greedy  in  sucking  the  juice  of  this  earth,  in 
taking  its  pleasures ;  so  busy  in  digging  out  the 
wealth  of  the  earth,  and  searching  for  its  treasures, 
and  yet  not  here !  How  canst  thou  say  I  am  walking 
with  the  God  of  glory,  when  thou  art  still  worship- 
ping the  gods  of  the  earth?  How  canst  thou  say, 
This  heart  is  risen,  it  is  not  here ;  when  it  may  be 
said  to  thee,  "Behold  the  place  where  it  lies?"  it  is 
still  in  the  field,  in  the  ridges  and  furrows  thereof; 
it  is  still  in  the  mines,  in  the  heart  of  the  earth :  see 
the  place  where  it  lies.  We  sow  our  hearts  with  our 
seed ;  we  send  them  down  to  dig  in  the  heart  of  the 
earth. 

But  what  do  these  hearts  below?  Get  you  up, 
get  you  up ;  leave  nothing  but  the  mantle  here,  your 
bodies— earth  to  earth,  dust  to  dust.  Come,  heave 
these  souls  heavenward ;  let  them  take  wing  and  be 
gone.  0  that  I  had  the  wings  of  a  dove,  that  I  might 
fly  up,  and  be  at  rest ;  be  lower  than  ever  by  humil- 
ity, but  in  love  be  on  high. 


A  HEART  TO  LOVE  THE  LORD.  197 

Behold  those  cords  of  love  that  are  let  down  in 
every  ordinance,  in  every  providence ;  there  is  a  cord 
let  down  to  gather  up  hearts  ;  hearken  to  those  calls 
of  love,  Come  up  hither,  come  up  hither.  We  come, 
Lord,  thou  bidst  us  come:  0  lend  us  thy  hand,  and 
lift  us  up. 

Come,  Christians;  come,  let  us  be  happy;  if  wo 
love,  we  are  happy:  come,  let  us  rejoice;  if  we  love, 
we  joy:  come,  let  us  live;  we  die,  we  die,  while  we 
linger  on  this  earth:  if  we  love,  we  live;  let  us  live, 
and  let  our  life  be  love;  let  our  works  be  labors 
of  love,  our  sufferings  seals  of  love,  our  sorrows  the 
sorrows  of  love,  our  wounds  love's  scars,  our  prayers 
the  cries  of  love,  our  praises  love  songs  to  our  Lord 
and  God.  Let  every  duty,  every  exercise,  let  every 
member,  every  power,  let  our  bodies,  let  our  souls  be 
love's  sacrifices  ;  let  the  Lord  see  love  in  all  our  ways, 
as  we  see  it  in  all  his. 

Canst  thou  not  love?  look  till  thou  canst;  look 
up  to  thy  God,  send  up  thy  thoughts  thither ;  let  thy 
meditations  be  of  him ;  these  will  not  be  long  before 
the  throne  ere  they  fetch  up  thy  heart.  Look  on  thy 
Jesus,  behold  his  hands  and  his  feet,  come  and  put 
thy  finger  into  the  print  of  the  nails,  and  thrust  thy 
heart  into  his  side,  and  there  let  it  lie  till  thou  feel  it 
warm.  Look  up  to  thy  Jesus;  lift  up  a  prayer: 
"Lord,  let  me  love  thee :  if  thou  West,  let  me  love 
thee :  I  will  seek,  till  I  can  see  ;  let  me  see,  till  I  can 
love.  What  have  I  here,  Lord  ?  My  all  is  with  thee, 
my  help,  my  hope,  my  treasure,  my  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.     And  yet  behold,  this  all  is  nothing  to 


198  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

me,  while  my  heart  is  no  more  with  thee;  take  it, 
Lord,  take  it  up ;  where  my  treasure  is,  there  let  my 
heart  he  also." 

Doubting  Christian,  who,  hecause  thou  lovest  so 
little,  fearest  thou  lovest  not  at  all,  cry  for  more,  but 
be  thankful  for  what  thou  hast;  be  ashamed  thou 
lovest  no  more,  but  be  not  dismayed.  Thou  corn- 
plainest  thou  canst  not  love  Grod ;  but  dost  thou  love 
his  image,  his  saints,  his  word,  his  works,  his  ways  ? 
While  thou  sayest  thou  lovest  not  God,  dost  thou  love 
godliness  ?  If  thou  canst  not  love,  canst  thou  grieve, 
canst  thou  lament  after  him  ?  Hast  thou  chosen,  dost 
thou  hang  upon,  and  trust  in  the  Lord  ?  If  thou  canst 
not  love,  canst  thou  fear  and  follow  the  Lord  ?  If  he 
be  not  sensibly  in  thy  affection,  is  he  in  thy  thoughts, 
in  thy  mouth,  in  thine  eye  ?  Is  he  thine  aim  and  thy 
scope  ?  Does  thy  course  bend  towards  him  ?  If  so, 
comfort  thy  heart  in  these  things ;  thou  mayest  see, 
though  thou  canst  not  feel,  that  thou  lovest. 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.        199 


CHAPTER  XL 

A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD. 

"  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they 
shall  not  depart  from  me."  Jer.  32  :  40.  In  unfold- 
ing this  topic,  I  shall  proceed  by  these  steps :  I  shall 
show,  1.  That  the  Lord  G  od  is  a  dreadful  God ; 
2.  That  the  Lord  hath  put  the  dread  of  himself  upon 
the  hearts  of  all  the  earth ;  3.  That  yet  by  sin  tho 
heart  of  man  is  much  hardened  from  the  fear  of  the 
Lord ;  4.  That  God  will  recover  his  honor,  and  again 
put  his  fear  into  the  hearts  of  his  people  ;  and, 
5.  What  this  fear  of  the  Lord  is  that  he  will  put  into 
them. 

I.  The  Lord  God  is  a  dreadful  God  :  he  is  dread- 
ful in  the  excellency  and  glory  of  his  majesty.  "  Shall 
not  his  excellency  make  you  afraid,  and  his  dread  falL 
upon  you?"  Job  13:11.  His  power  is  dreadful: 
"  Fear  ye  not  me?  saith  the  Lord.  Will  ye  not  trem- 
ble at  my  presence,  which  have  placed  the  sand  for 
the  bound  of  the  sea  by  a  perpetual  decree,  that  it 
cannot  pass  it:  and  though  the  waves  thereof  toss 
themselves,  yet  can  they  not  prevail ;  though  they 
roar,  yet  can  they  not  pass  over  it  ?"  Fear  ye  not  me  ? 
saith  the  Lord.  He  that  did  this,  what  can  he  not 
do?  His  wrath  is  a  dreadful  wrath:  "  At  his  wrath 
the  earth  shall  tremble,  and  the  nations  shall  not  be 


200  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

able  to  abide  his  indignation."  Jer.  10  :  10.  Yea,  his 
holiness  is  dreadful,  his  truth,  his  righteousness,  and 
all  his  name.  "  That  thou  mayest  fear  this  glorious 
and  fearful  name,  the  Lord  thy  God."  Deut.  28  :  58. 
The  Lord  God  is  a  dreadful  God. 

II.  The  Lord  God  hath  put  the  dread  of  himself 

UPON  THE  HEARTS  OF  ALL  THE  EARTH.   Not  the  best 

only,  but  the  worst  of  the  sons  of  men.  "I  am  a 
great  King,  saith  the  Lord ;  and  my  name  is  dreadful 
among  the  heathen."  This  dread  of  the  Lord  breaks 
forth  upon  them, . 

1.  From  the  impress  of  God  upon  the  natures  of 
all  men.  As  the  law,  so  the  being  of  God  is  written 
in  their  hearts  ;  he  has  his  witness  in  their  con- 
sciences. If  the  atheists  of  the  earth  could  answer 
all  the  arguments  from  without  proving  that  there 
is  a  God;  yet  they  can  never  confute  their  own  con- 
sciences. If  the  works  of  God  do  not,  their  reins  shall 
instruct  them  ;  if  they  will  not  see,  whether  they  will 
or  not  they  shall  feel,  that  there  is  a  God ;  and  where- 
ever  God  is  felt,  he  is  feared  :  even  when  their  mouth 
speaketh  proud  things,  their  heart  shall  meditate  ter- 
ror ;  and  when  nothing  else  alarms  them,  they  shall 
be  a  terror  to  themselves. 

2.  It  is  increased  by  the  great  works  of  God,  his 
wonders  that  he  doeth  in  the  world — his  thunder  and 
his  hail,  his  wind  and  his  waves ;  his .  earthquakes 
make  many  an  earthquake  in  hearts. 

3.  It  is  further  heightened  by  his  judgments, 
which  he  executeth  on  the  earth.  The  judgments  of 
God,  are  God  revealing  himself  from  heaven  against 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.       201 

the  ungodliness  and  unrighteousness  of  men,  and 
strike  most  terror,  1.  "When  he  smites  suddenly,  and 
makes  quick  work  with  sinners  :  as  when  Herod  was 
smitten  by  an  angel  of  God,  Nadab  and  Abihu  con- 
sumed by  fire  from  God,  immediately  upon  their  sin. 
Sudden  strokes  shake  secure  hearts.  2.  When  he 
executes  strange  judgments,  and  makes  a  new  thing: 
as  in  the  case  of  Korah  and  his  company,  he  made 
the  earth  to  open  her  mouth  upon  them,  and  swallow 
them  up;  as  he  made  the  flies,  and  the  frosrs.  and  the, 
lice,  to  be  the  executioners  of  his  wrath  on  Pharaoh. 

3.  When  he  executes  great  wrath  for  little  sins.  ;is 
men  account  them ;  as  in  the  case  of  Uzzah,  whom 
he  struck  dead  for  but  touching  the  ark  when  it  shook. 

4.  When  he  exercises  great  severity  on  his  own  people, 
on  those  that  are  near  him.  If  he  spareth  not  his  sons, 
what  will  he  do  with  his  enemies?  "  If  these  things  be 
done  in  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  in  the  dry?" 

4.  Yet  further,  men's  dread  is  increased  by  their 
consciousness  of  guilt,  and  of  their  being  bound  over 
to  the  judgment  to  come.  The  sin  of  Judah  is  writ- 
ten with  a  pen  of  iron,  with  the  point  of  a  diamond  it 
is  graven  upon  the  tables  of  their  heart.  The  sin  of 
Judah  is  written ;  yea,  and  the  sin  of  the  Gentiles 
also:  "Their  conscience  also  bearing  witness,  and 
their  thoughts  the  meanwhile  accusing."  Rom.  2  :  15. 
And  where  their  sin  is  written,  there  their  judgment 
is  written,  which  even  nature  itself  will  teach  doth 
inevitably  follow  upon  sin  ;  and  this  is  the  great  dread 
that  is  come  upon  them.  The  very  mention  of  judg- 
ment to  come,  made  Felix  tremble  at  the  face  of  a 


202  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

poor  prisoner.  This  is  the  terror  of  the  Lord  mentioned 
by  the  apostle :  "We  must  all  appear  before  the  judg- 
ment-seat. Knowing  therefore  the  terror  of  the  Lord, 
we  persuade  men."  2  Cor.  5  :  10,  11.  Death  is  said 
to  be  the  king  of  terrors ;  and  this  is"  the  terror  of 
death,  "After  that  the  judgment."  All  these,  the 
impress  of  God  upon  their  hearts,  the  wonders  of  God 
in  the  world,  the  vengeance  of  God  executed  on  sin. 
the  sense  of  guilt  and  of  a  judgment  to  come,  do  preach 
to  the  consciences  of  sinners  that  "it  is  a  fearful  thing 
to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God." 

III.  Yet  by  sin  the  heart  of  man  is  much  hardened 
from  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  Sin  blinds  the  eye  and 
hardens  the  heart,  brings  into  danger  and  puts  out  of 
fear.  Who  in  such  danger,  and  yet  who  so  bold  as 
the  blind  sinner  ?  When  the  understanding  is  dark- 
ened, the  next  word  we  read  is,  "Past  feeling."  Eph 
4  :  19.  There  is  included  in  the  very  nature  of  sin  a 
slighting  of  God  ;  and  by  once  slighting  we  learn  to 
slight  him  more.  Slight  the  command,  and  you  will 
quickly  slight  the  curse.  Laugh  at  duty,  and  it  will 
not  be  long  ere  you  laugh  at  fear.  "And  when  sin 
hath  thus  hardened,  God  will  also  harden ;  he  lets 
the  sinner  alone,  suspends  his  judgments,  smites  the 
sinner  with  judicial  blindness,  and  gives  him  up  to  a 
reprobate  mind.  Rom.  1  :  28.  And  when  once  they 
come  to  this,  then  hell  is  broke  loose:  for  what  fol- 
lows? "Being  filled  with  all  unrighteousness,  forni- 
cation, wickedness,  covetousness,  maliciousness,"  and 
what  not.  Rom.  1  :  29.  "  The  transgression  of  the 
wicked  saith  within  my  heart,  that  there  is  no  fear 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.       203 

of  God  before  his  eyes."  Psa.  36  :  1.  When  Abraham 
had  such  a  thought,  "  Surely  the  fear  of  God  is  not 
in  this  place,"  Gen.  20 :  11,  what  did  he  think  was 
there  ?  Murder,  adultery,  and  all  manner  of  villany. 
"  What  sawest  thou  among  us,  that  thou  hast  done 
this  thing  ?"  What  hurt,  what  evil  didst  thou  see 
among  us  ?  What  evil !  Evil  enough  to  make  me 
afraid :  I  thought  the  fear  of  God  was  not  here,  and 
there  needs  no  more  to  make  me  afraid.  Say  of  any 
person,  The  fear  of  God  is  not  in  this  man,  and  you 
therein  say,  The  devil  is  in  him  ;  here  dwells  sin,  and 
all  manner  of  wickedness.  Say  of  any  place,  The 
fear  of  God  is  not  in  this  place ;  and  if  you  find  it  an 
Egypt  or  Sodom  for  abominations,  you  will  not  won- 
der. "  The  fear  of  the  Lord  is  clean,"  Psa.  19  : 9, 
that  is,  it  cleanseth.  Where  this  is  not,  every  unclean 
thing  may  dwell.  The  reason  why  this  world  is  such 
a  world  as  it  is,  such  a  wicked  world,  such  a  treach- 
erous, deceitful,  ungodly  world — why  there  is  so  little 
faith,  or  truth,  or  mercy,  or  charity,  or  sobriety,  is, 
because  there  is  so  little  of  the  fear  of  God.  Sin  has 
cast  out  fear,  and  this  has  brought  forth  sin  in  abun- 
dance. The  law  is  nothing,  threatenings  are  nothing, 
conscience  is  nothing,  God  is  nothing  to  men,  because 
he  is  not  their  fear.  Wickedness  is  as  righteousness  ; 
villany,  as  honesty ;  prodigality,  debauchery,  as  tem- 
perance and  sobriety;  yea,  wickedness  faces  the 
sun,  it  lifts  up  the  head,  it  wears  the  garland ;  it 
paints  itself  virtue,  generosity,  gallantry,  the  beauty 
and  ornament  of  the  world,  wherever  the  fear  of  God 
is  departed. 


204  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

God  may  promise,  threaten,  command  :  "Hearken 
to  my  voice,  turn  at  my  reproofs,  cast  away  your 
transgressions.  Awake  from  your  wine,  be  chaste, 
sober,  humble  ;  let  your  merriment  be  turned  ir  to 
mourning,  your  jollity  into  heaviness.  Remember 
your  Creator,  remember  your  souls ;  why  will  you 
die  ?  turn  and  live."  God  may  speak  thus  once,  and 
twice,  and  ten  times,  but  is  not  regarded ;  his  words 
have  no  weight,  his  counsels  have  no  credit,  his  warn- 
ings are  of  no  value  with  hardened,  fearless  hearts. 
If  the  devil  speak  but  once,  he  is  heard  ;  "if  lust  speak 
but  once,  it  is  obeyed ;  if  a  proud  companion  speak 
but  once,  he  is  followed  ;  while  the  word  of  the  God 
of  glory  is  made  a  reproach  and  a  scorn.  0,  the 
intolerable  contempt  that  is  poured  out  upon  the  Most 
High  by  men  that  fear  not  God !  "  Make  thy  prom- 
ises, and  give  thy  gifts  to  whom  thou  wilt ;  give  grace, 
and  give  glory  where  thou  pleasest :  the  world  for  me ; 
my  pleasures,  my  honors,  my  liberty  for  me ;  this 
world  for  me,  look  after  the  other  who  will :  let  the 
Lord  threaten,  let  the  day  of  the  Lord  come  ;  let  it 
hasten  that  we  may  see  it ;  let  the  Almighty  do  his 
worst,  I  will  not  hearken  nor  turn."  This  is  the  blas- 
phemy of  hardened,  fearless  hearts. 

IV.  God  will  recover  his  honor  in  the  hearts  of 
his  people.  He  will  put  his  fear  in  their  hearts  : 
while  others  are  hardened,  they  shall  tremble  ;  while 
others  kick,  they  shall  stoop ;  whoever  despise  him, 
of  these  will  he  be  had  in  honor. 

V.  What  this  fear  of  the  Lord  is,  that  he  will 
put  into  their  hearts.     The  fear  of  God  is  sometimes 


A  HEART  1U  FEAR  THE  LORD.        205 

taken  in  Scripture  as  comprehending  all  religion. 
Job  was  said,  chap.  1,  to  be  a  man  fearing  God,  that 
is,  a  godly  man ;  but  in  this  sense  I  shall  not  here 
speak  of  it.  Sometimes  it  is  presented  more  strictly 
as  a  distinct  grace,  distinguished  from  faith,  love, 
hope,  and  other  graces  of  the  Spirit.  And  being  taken 
in  this  sense,  there  are  these  two  things  included  in  it: 
A  reverence  of  God,  and  an  abhorrence  of  evil  for 
God's  sake. 

1.  A  reverence  of  God.  To  fear  God,  is  to  have 
the  awe  of  God  abiding  upon  the  heart — to  be  under 
a  sense  of  the  majesty  and  glory  of  the  Lord,  shining 
forth  in  all  his  attributes,  especially  in  his  holiness 
and  omniscience  :  the  glory  of  his  holiness,  and  the 
sense  of  such  a  holy  eye  upon  the  soul  strikes  it  with 
dread  and  consternation.  This  is  expressed  in  Scrip- 
ture by  sanctifying  the  Lord  in  the  heart.  "  I  will 
be  sanctified  in  them  that  come  nigh  me."  Lev.  10 : 3. 
"Sanctify  the  Lord  of  hosts  himself;  and  let  him  be 
your  fear,  and  let  him  be  your  dread."  Isaiah  8  :  13. 
There  is  mention  in  Scripture  of  a  sanctifying  of  God 
and  a  justifying  of  God.  As  God  doth  justify  and 
sanctify  his  people,  so  they  are  to  justify  and  sanctify 
God.  These  two,  the  justifying  and  sanctifying  of 
God,  though  they  be  much  the  same,  yet  have  some 
difference  between  them.  To  sanctify  God,  is  to  rev- 
erence him  in  our  hearts,  and  to  represent  him  in  the 
glory  of  his  holiness  before  men.  To  justify  God, 
supposes  a  sinful  judging  and  foolish  charging  of  God 
in  the  hearts  of  men,  and  is  our  vindicating  him  from 
such  charges.    "Is  God  righteous?"  say  they ;  "how 


206  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

is  it  then  that  he  is  so  partial  in  his  dealings  with  the 
righteous  and  unrighteous ;  that  he  deals  worse  with 
those  who  fear  him  than  with  those  who  fear  him 
not  ?  Is  God  good  ?  How  is  it  then  that  he  is  so  hard 
in  imposing  and  inflicting  such  hard  things  upon  his 
own  ?  Is  God  true  ?  How  is  it  then  that  he  fails  his 
people  so  often,  when  he  hath  said,  I  will  never  leave 
them  nor  forsake  them?  Our  flesh  hath  failed,  yea, 
and  our  heart  hath  failed,  yea,  and  our  Grod  hath  often 
failed  us  too ;  we  have  often  called,  and  have  had  no 
answer ;  we  have  often  trusted,  and  have  had  no  de- 
liverer." Not  so,  we  reply ;  yet  God  is  righteous,  yet 
God  is  good,  yet  God  is  true ;  he  has  not  been  un- 
righteous, he  has  not  been  a  hard  master,  he  has  not 
failed  nor  forsaken.     This  is  to  justify  God. 

Our  justifying  God  hath  some  points  of  resem- 
blance with  God's  justifying  us.  God's  justification 
of  us  consists  in  his  not  imputing  sin  to  us,  but  ac- 
cepting us  as  righteous;  and  our  justifying  of  God, 
consists  in  our  not  imputing  evil  to  him,  but  acknow- 
ledging him  to  be  true,  just,  and  good.  God  has  jus- 
tified me  from  my  sins,  and  that  is  enough  to  pro- 
claim him  good  and  faithful,  whatever  his  other  deal- 
ings be.  Let  him  afflict  me,  let  him  chastise  me, 
since  he  will  not  judge  me  nor  condemn  me  with  the 
world.  God  has  justified  himself  in  my  conscience. 
I  have  found  that  the  Lord  is  gracious,  I  have  found 
that  God  is  faithful;  he  has  said  he  will  not,  and  I 
must  say  he  does  not,  forsake  me.  He  has  not  failed, 
when  he  has  most  failed  me ;  when  he  has  been  far- 
thest from  me,  he  has  even  then  been  a  present  help 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.       207 

in  trouble.  He  has  answered,  when  he  has  been  most 
silent ;  he  has  been  most  good,  when  he  has  been  most 
hard.  I  have  never  found  more  sweet,  than  in  his 
bitter  eup.  X  must  judge  myself,  not  my  God:  I  have 
sinned,  I  have  sinned  against  him,  and  therefore  I 
must  justify  him  when  he  speaketh,  and  clear  him 
when  he  judgeth.  Hold  thy  peace,  querulous  heart, 
be  silent  all  the  earth  before  the  Lord,  for  truly  God 
is  good  to  Israel,  even  to  them  that  are  of  a  clean 
heart.  There  arc  few  among  the  worst  of  sinners, 
but,  if  conscience  might  be  suffered  to  speak,  would 
justify  God.  It  is  lust  that  quarrels,  not  conscience. 
"  It  is  vain,"  says  lust,  "to  serve  the  Lord,  and  what 
profit  is  there  to  keep  his  ordinances  ?  His  ways  are 
unequal  and  hard  ;  his  promise  fails,  take  one  time 
with  another,  oftener  than  it  is  made  good.  Who  is 
it  that  plagues  and  disappoints  and  crosses  and  vexes 
us  ?  This  evil  is  of  the  Lord  :  why  should  I  wait  on 
the  Lord  any  longer  ?  Nay,  whom  does  he  punish 
more  than  those  that  are  nearest  him  ?  Who  have 
sorrow,  who  have  trouble  in  the  flesh,  who  are  re- 
proached, scorned,  hunted  up  and  down  the  world, 
but  these  ?  This  they  may  thank  God  for,  and  their 
following  him.  It  is  better  being  the  servant  of  sin, 
than  the  servant  of  Christ."  Thus  lust  blasphemes. 
But  speak,  conscience.  Is  God  unrighteous  ?  Is  God 
false  to  his  word?  Are  the  pleasures  of  sin  better 
than  the  gain  of  godliness  ?  Have  the  children  of 
this  world  made  a  wiser  choice  than  the  children  of 
light?  Speak,  sinner,  let  thy  conscience  speak,  wheth- 
er it  be  thus  or  not.     God  has  not  left  himself  with- 


208  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

out  witness  in  the  hearts  of  sinners,  much  less  in  the 
hearts  of  his  saints  ;  when  they  do  speak,  their  hearts 
speak  good  of  his  name.     But  this  by  the  way. 

To  return  to  the  matter  in  hand.  To  sanctify 
God,  is  especially  to  reverence  him  in  the  heart — to 
have  such  a  high  and  holy  and  honorable  esteem  of 
him  as  commands  an  awe  upon  the  heart ;  and  that, 

(1.)  At  all  times.  "My  son,  be  thou  in  the  fear 
of  the  Lord  all  the  day  long."  "My  son:"  it  is  not 
only  for  slaves,  but  for  sons  to  fear.  "Be  thou  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord :"  it  is  not  only,  Let  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  be  in  thee,  habitually  in  thy  heart,  but  actuate 
and  stir  up  this  holy  fear,  keep  up  a  holy  awe,  a  deep 
sense  of  God  always  upon  thee ;  let  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  be  before  thine  eyes;  be  possessed  and  swal- 
lowed up  of  this  fear  "all  the  day  long;"  wherever 
thou  art,  with  whomsoever  thou  hast  to  do,  remember 
thou  hast  still  to  do  with  God.  A  Christian  should 
stand  always  as  before  the  tribunal ;  every  day  should 
be  as  the  last  day,  the  day  of  judgment  to  him.  "So 
speak  ye,  and  so  do  as  those  that  shall  be  judged." 
James  2  :  12.  The  Judge  stands  at  the  door,  yea,  and 
thou  mayest  see  him  through  every  window,  yea, 
through  every  wall — every  wall  is  a  window  through 
which  God  may  see  and  be  seen.  A  Christian,  when 
he  is  as  he  should  be,  cannot  wink  God  out  of  sight ; 
can  look  nowhere  but  he  sees  that  eye  which  strikes 
an  awe  upon  his  spirit. 

This  abiding  reverence  of  God,  what  an  influence 
will  it  have  upon  the  whole  course!  "We  shall  then 
serve  God  acceptably ;  when  we  fear  him,  we  shall 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  209 

please  him:  "That  we  may  serve  God  acceptably, 
with  reverence  and  godly  fear."  We  shall  then  serve 
God  universally,  in  every  thing.  When  we  fear,  we 
shall  watch  unto  every  duty,  against  every  sin.  "  This 
do  and  live,  for  I  fear  God,"  Gen.  42  :  18,  said  Joseph 
to  his  brethren ;  as  if  he  had  said,  Do  not  you  fear  to 
find  falsehood  or  any  evil-dealing  from  me,  for  I  fear 
God  ;  I  dare  not  be  false  to  you ;  you  may  trust  me, 
you  may  take  my  word,  for  I  fear  God.  "We  shall 
then  walk  before  the  Lord  steadily.  "When  we  fear, 
we  shall  be  firm,  and  hold  fast  in  an  even  frame  and 
course.  Fear  will  be  our  ballast ;  while  love  fills  our 
sails,  fear  will  ballast  our  vessel.  How  are  slight 
and  frothy  spirits  tossed  up  and  down — whither  do 
they  not  wander !  How  many  hearts  and  faces  and 
frames  have  they  every  day!  "What  contradictions 
are  they  to  themselves!  The  reverence  of  God  upon 
them  would  fix  them  and  hold  them  in  a  more  even 
and  equal  poise.  We  should  then  serve  the  Lord 
more  honorably.  When  we  fear,  we  shall  show  forth 
the  character  of  God  before  the  world ;  the  more  we 
have  of  the  reverence  of  God,  the  more  have  we  of  his 
holiness.  The  presence  of  a  Christian  walking  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  is  as  the  presence  of  God  ;  the  rev- 
erence of  God  upon  his  heart  casts  a  beam  of  divine 
majesty  into  his  face,  and  oftentimes  begets  an  awe 
and  reverence  of  him  in  the  hearts  of  the  worst  of 
sinners  ;  they  reverence,  even  while  they  revile  and 
persecute  him. 

Of  John  the  Baptist,  who  was  a  man  of  a  just, 
holy,  and  austere  life,  it  is  said  that  Herod  feared 


210  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

him  and  observed  him.  Mark  6  :  20.  The  austerity 
and  holiness  of  his  life  commanded  respect  from  a 
Herod's  heart.  Such  Christians'  ways  are  a  convic- 
tion, and  their  very  countenances  are  a  rebuke  to  the 
wanton  world ;  they  speak  with  authority,  they  ex- 
hort with  authority,  they  reprove  with  authority ;  and 
sin  often  hides  itself  from  them,  even  as  from  the  face 
of  God. 

(2.)  Especially  is  this  awe  seen  in  our  drawing 
nigh  to  God:  "God  is  greatly  to  be  feared  in  the 
assembly  of  the  saints,-  and  to  be  had  in  reverence  of 
all  them  that  are  about  him."  Psa.  89  :  7.  "I  will 
be  sanctified  in  them  that  come  nigh  me."  Lev.  10  :  3. 
He  that  fears  God,  trembles  at  the  word  of  God ;  and 
God  loves  he  should.  "  To  this  man  will  I  look,  even 
to  him  that  trembleth  at  my  word."  Isa.  66  :  2.  That 
which  makes  him  tremble  is,  that  he  sees  the  word 
carrying  upon  it  the  holiness  and  the  authority  of 
God. 

He  reads  the  word  as  the  epistle  of  God  sent 
down  to  the  world — his  epistle  commendatory,  that 
sets  forth  the  excellence  ,and  the  glory  of  God,  and 
his  letters  mandatory,  that  charge  subjection  and  obe- 
dience upon  him :  he  takes  every  word  as  coming 
from  the  mouth  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  he  lies 
prostrate  before  the  Lord ;  his  soul  bows  the  knee, 
his  heart  falls  down  at  the  feet  of  the  Almighty.  The 
more  the  word  is  considered  as  the  word  of  God,  the 
more  awe  it  works  upon  him.  Every  look  he  casts 
upon  his  Bible,  is  a  looking  into  heaven.  He  that 
fears  God,  fears  when  he  comes  to  worship,  reverences 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.       211 

his  sanctuary :  "  In  thy  fear  will  I  worship."  Psa.  5 : 7. 
That  which  works  this  fear  is,  that  he  looks  upon  the 
duties  and  ordinances  of  worship  as  the  institutions 
of  God  and  his  application  unto  God. 

"  This,"  he  says,  "  is  that  which  the  Lord  hath 
sanctified :  behold  his  image  and  superscription ;  here 
he  has  directed  me  to  wait  for  him ;  here  he  has 
appointed  to  meet  my  soul;  now  I  am  going  up  to 
the  mount  of  God;  the  mount  of  God  is  everywhere 
where  the  worship  of  God  is.  My  soul,  where  art 
thou  ?  I  am  before  the  Lord  of  the  whole  earth.  Tut 
off  thy  shoes  from  thy  feet,  the  place  whereon  thou 
standest  is  holy  ground.  I  am  before  the  high  and 
holy  One,  the  God  of  all  the  earth;  and  upon  trans- 
actions of  eternal  consequence,  to  do  my  homage  to 
the  everlasting  King,  to  kneel  before  the  Lord  my 
Maker,  to  kiss  the  golden  sceptre,  to  beg  my  life  at 
his  hands,  to  behold  his  goings  in  Ins  sanctuary ;  his 
wisdom,  and  his  mercy,  and  his  goodness  are  all  pass- 
ing before  me.  How  dreadful  is  this  place  !  This  is 
none  other  but  the  house  of  God  and  the  gate  of 
heaven.  How  dreadful  is  this  word  !  This  is  none 
other  but  the  word  of  God.  How  dreadful  is  this 
ordinance  !  This  is  none  other  but  the  door  of  glory. 
Tremble,  thou  heart,  at  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  at 
the  presence  of  the  God  of  Jacob." 

2.  Abhorrence  of  evil  for  the  Lord's  sake,  is  tho 
other  part  of  the  fear  of  God.  Here  we  shall  con- 
sider its  object  and  its  ground. 

(1.)  The  object  of  this  abhorrence  in  general  is 
evil:  "Abhor  that  which  is  evil,  cleave  to  that  which 


212  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

is  good."  Rom.  12  :  9.  Good  is  the  object  of  love,  evil 
of  fear.  Evil  is  twofold,  present,  or  to  come.  The 
former  is  the  object  of  grief,  the  latter  of  fear.  Par- 
ticularly, the  objects  of  this  abhorrence  are,  the  wrong 
to  God,  the  loss  of  God. 

First,  the  wrong  to  God.  The  great  and  only 
wrong  to  God  is  sin.  Sin  is  the  turning  away  of  the 
heart  from  God.  The  great  thing  in  all  the  world 
which  God  respects  and  requires  as  his  own,  is  the 
heart :  "  My  son,  give  me  thy  heart.  Keep  thy  heart 
with  all  diligence."  Prov.  4:23.  Keep  thy  heart; 
that  is,  keep  it  for  me — keep  it  clean  for  God,  and 
keep  it  safe  for  God ;  see  that  it  be  not  defiled  nor 
carried  away.  When  the  heart  is  gone,  all  is  gone 
with  it.  If  the  world  has  got  men's  hearts,  if  Satan 
has  got  their  hearts,  let  them  take  all  else,  saith  God ; 
let  me  have  their  heart  or  nothing:  they  are  sure  to 
have  all,  that  have  the  heart.  The  heart,  wherever  it 
goes,  carries  all  with  it.  Where  we  bestow  our  hearts, 
we  bestow  all  that  we  have.  Sin  is  the  turning  away 
of  the  heart.  This  is  the  very  nature  of  sin,  the 
heart's  departing  from  the  living  God.  Heb.  3  :  12. 
And  therefore  this  is  the  great  wrong  to  God.  There 
is  but  one  thing  in  the  world  that  God  regards ;  and 
this  sin  steals  away. 

Sin  is  the  insurrection  and  rebellion  of  the  heart 
against  God  ;  it  turns  from  him,  and  turns  against 
him ;  it  runs  over  to  the  camp  of  the  enemy,  and 
there  takes  up  arms  against  God.  Sin  is  a  running 
from  God,  and  a  fighting  against  God  ;  it  would  spoil 
the  Lord  of  all  the  jewels  of  his  crown.     It  opposes 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.        213 

the  sovereignty  of  God.  A  sinful  heart  would  set  up 
itself  in  God's  throne,  it  would  be  king  in  his  stead, 
and  have  the  command  of  all.  Sinners  would  be 
their  own  gods :  "Our  lips  are  our  own,  who  is  Lord 
over  us  ?"  God  shall  not  be  God  where  sin  is  risen  up 
as  lord.  It  assaults  the  wisdom  of  God.  Vain  man 
would  be  wise,  wiser  than  his  Maker.  It  charges  the 
Lord  with  folly,  and  proclaims  itself  the  only  wise. 
Sinners  pretend  to  know  how  to  choose  for  themselves, 
and  order  things  to  their  advantage,  better  than  God. 
"  If  God  would  let  me  alone  to  myself,  to  be  at  my 
own  ordering,  it  should  quickly  be  better  with  me. 
If  every  thing  might  be  with  me  as  I  would  have  it, 
my  case  would  be  well  mended  from  what  it  is,  now 
that  every  thing  must  go  as  God  will  have  it."  All 
our  complainings  at  Providence,  all  our  murmurings 
and  discontents  at  our  lot,  are  our  heart  charging 
the  Lord  with  folly.  It  casts  reproach  on  the  holi- 
ness of  God,  it  disparages  the  goodness  of  God  ;  it 
abuses  his  mercy,  violates  his  justice,  despises  his 
power.  In  sum,  it  disgraces  the  throne  of  his  glory, 
lays  his  honor  in  the  dust,  and  sets  the  Almighty 
below  the  lowest  of  his  creatures. 

Every  companion  shall  be  respected  more  than 
God ;  every  pleasure  shall  be  loved  more  than  God ; 
the  devil  shall  be  feared  more  than  God.  "Where  is 
his  love  ?  Where  is  his  fear  ?  Where  is  his  honor  ? 
Nay,  where  were  the  Lord  himself,  might  sin  have  its 
way?  Sin  alone  wrongs  God,  and  this  wrong  is  the 
especial  object  of  the  saints'  abhorrence.  A  gracious 
heart  would  do  no  wrong,  he  would  not  wrong  his 


214  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

neighbor,  he  would  not  wrong  his  servant,  his  enemy, 
no,  not  his  beast  that  he  possesses.  "  But  0,  should 
I  wrong  my  God  ?  Has  he  ever  done  me  any  wrong  ? 
Has  he  not  been  just  to  me ;  yea,  has  he  not  heen 
ever  good  to  me  ?  Kind,  pitiful,  patient,  bountiful  ? 
Who  has  fed  me,  clothed  me,  kept  me,  succored 
me,  comforted  me  ?  What  friend  have  I  in  all  the 
world,  what  father,  what  portion,  what  hope,  but 
the  Lord  ?  What  were  I,  what  had  I,  but  vanity, 
woe,  and  misery,  had  I  not  a  God  ?  I  cannot  wrong 
my  God  but  I  wrong  myself.  '  He  that  sinneth 
against  me  wrongeth  his  own  soul.'  Prov.  8  :  36. 
But  if  I  did  not,  if  my  arrows  would  not  recoil,  could 
I  go  on  with  all  this  injury  and  suffer  nothing  by  it : 
yet,  he  is  God  whom  I  wrong ;  he  is  holy,  he  is  right- 
eous, he  is  good,  he  is  glorious,  he  is  excellent ;  he 
only  is  God,  and  shall  I  be  injurious  to  him  ?  He  is 
worthy  of  all  that  I  have,  of  all  the  service  I  can  do, 
of  all  the  respect  I  can  give,  of  all  the  praise  I  can 
offer  up.  If  I  had  a  thousand  tongues,  if  I  had  a 
thousand  hands,  if  I  had  a  thousand  lives,  if  I  had  a 
thousand  souls,  if  I  had  all  the  earth  for  an  offering 
to  the  Lord,  all  would  be  nothing  to  show  forth  the 
praise  that  is  due  unto  his  name,  as  he  is  God,  and  I 
his  creature.  And  when  I  owe  so  much,  and  have 
nothing  to  pay,  shall  I  steal  from  him  ?  shall  I  rise 
up  against  him  ?  '  Wast  thou  not  afraid  to  lift  up 
thy  hand  against  the  Lord's  anointed  ?'  2  Sam.  1 :  14. 
Shall  I  not  be  afraid  to  lift  up  my  hand  against  the 
Lord  himself?  to  kick  against  God?  0,  the  Lord 
forbid!    What  art  thou,  0  my  soul?    What  servest 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  215 

thou  for,  if  thou  canst  not  tremble,  if  thou  dost  not 
turn  within  me,  if  thou  dost  not  start  back  at  the 
very  thought  of  such  great  wickedness  !" 

Secondly,  the  loss  of  God.  As  was  said  before, 
"  He  that  sinneth  against  God  wrongeth  his  own 
soul."  His  loss  is  thy  loss,  and  more  thine  than  his; 
though,  no  thanks  to  thee,  the  Lord  will  be  no  loser 
at  last :  when  sinners  have  done  their  worst,  he  can 
bring  his  honor  out  of  dishonor,  he  can  recover  his 
spoils  out  of  the  ashes ;  if  he  had  lost  all  the  world, 
he  had  lost  nothing;  he  is  all  things  in  himself. 
"When  earth  and  hell  have  spent  all  their  malice,  God 
will  be  God,  holy,  wise,  glorious,  blessed  for  ever. 
Though  such  be  the  malignity  of  sin,  that  it  would 
not  give  over  till  God  cease  to  be  God,  yet  God  is 
above,  too  high  for  sin  to  reach ;  its  darts  fall  short 
of  their  mark.  God  cannot,  God  will  not  be  a  loser 
by  all  that  sin  can  do. 

But  what  dost  thou  suffer,  what  dost  thou  lose, 
who  sinnest  against  God  !  The  carnal  world  under- 
stand it  not,  nor  would  make  much  reckoning  of 
it,  did  they  understand  it.  The  loss  of  two  pence 
often  troubles  them  more  than  the  loss  of  God.  But 
now  a  Christian  knows  no  other  fear,  fears  no  other 
loss — let  God  be  secure,  and  all  is  well.  Sin  will  be 
a  wrong  to  God,  and  the  loss  of  God ;  it  may  be  a 
total  and  eternal  loss,  for  aught  he  knows :  God  lost, 
the  soul  is  lost,  the  kingdom  lost ;  this  is  hell,  the  losa 
of  God.  Better  have  no  being — better  be  a  dog  or 
toad,  than  a  man  without  a  God.  Or  if  he  be  not 
utterly  lost,  yet  to  his  present  sense  it  will  be  all  one 


216  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

as  if  he  had  no  God ;  his  peace  is  lost,  his  comfort  is 
lost,  and  his  soul  is  often  given  up  for  lost,  from 
whom  God  is  departed,  though  hut  for  a  season ;  he 
can  take  pleasure  in  nothing,  he  can  find  rest  no- 
where, whose  God  is  out  of  sight.  He  knows  not 
what  a  God  means,  who  can  do  without  him  till  death 
or  judgment.  A  Christian  cannot  live  a  day  without 
him ;  it  is  night,  it  is  all  dark,  he  knows  no  day, 
while  the  Sun  is  set  upon  him.  How  grievous  do  they 
find  this  loss,  who  have  proved  what  it  is!  "What 
wilt  thou  do  for  me,  while  I  go  childless  ?"  What 
can  be  done  for  me,  while  I  go  fatherless  ?  Here  is  my 
house,  here  are  my  friends  and  my  lands ;  hut  where 
is  my  God ?  "My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou  for- 
saken me  ?"  "Now  I  see  what  this  earth  is  without 
a  heaven ;  now  I  see  what  ease,  pleasure,  and  carnal 
friends  are,  and  how  little  they  can  do  for  me.  Yea, 
what  is  prayer,  what  are  sabbaths,  what  are  sermons, 
ordinances,  promises,  while  God  looks  not  down  ?  0 
I  was  wont  to  meet  with  God  here ;  these  glasses 
were  my  windows  into  heaven ;  and  then  how  pleas- 
ant were  they  to  me !  Sabbaths  were  a  delight,  the 
word  was  a  treasure,  sacraments  were  the  clusters  of 
Canaan.  But  now,  now  all  is  dark  and  dry;  ordi- 
nances are  wells  without  water  ;  promises  are  breasts 
without  milk;  ministers  are  stars  without  light:  0 
the  stars  are  but  clods,  while  the  sun  is  a.  cloud  to 
me ;  woe  is  me,  I  am  pained,  I  am  pained,  my  head 
is  sick,  my  heart  is  faint,  my  bowels  are  turned,  my 
liver  is  poured  out,  the  light  of  mine  eyes  is  gone 
from  me ;  I  am  weary  of  my  groanings,  I  am  full  of 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  217 

tossings  and  turnings,  there  is  no  soundness  in  my 
flesh,  no  rest  in  my  bones,  while  my  soul  says  daily 
to  me,  Where  is  thy  God?"  And  if  the  sense  of  this 
loss  worketh  such  grief,  what  wonder  if  the  hazard  of 
it  worketh  fear  ?  Now  sin  divides,  breaks  the  peace, 
makes  God  and  the  soul  two — sin  alienates,  produces 
a  distance  and  estrangement  between  God  and  the 
soul.  That  soul  can  either  not  see  him  at  all,  or  not 
as  a  friend,  whom  sin  has  drawn  away.  Sin  will 
either  cloud  the  face  of  God,  or  clothe  him  with  fury; 
will  cause  him  either  to  turn  his  back  upon  the  soul, 
or  set  his  face  against  it.  He  who  knows  what  it  is 
to  enjoy  God  will  dread  his  loss  ;  he  who  has  seen  his 
face  will  fear  to  see  his  back  ;  he  loves,  and  therefore 
would  not  lose. 

(2.)  The  ground  and  reason  of  this  abhorrence  is 
twofold — G-od's  jealousy,  and  his  people's  ingenuous- 
ness. 

First,  God's  jealousy.  "The  Lord  thy  God  is  a 
jealous  God."  Exodus  20  :  5.  The  same  arguments 
which  the  Lord  uses  to  keep  up  and  enforce  his  au- 
thority upon  the  consciences  of  his  people,  the  same 
arguments  they  do  and  ought  to  make  use  of,  to  press 
it  upon  themselves.  "  I  am  a  jealous  God,"  saith  the 
Lord.  It  is  true,  saith  conscience,  the  Lord  is  jealous ; 
and  therefore  take  heed  to  thyself,  soul,  how  thou 
fallest  into  his  hands.  "It  is  a  fearful  thing  to  fall 
into  the  hands  of  the  living  God." 

The  jealousy  of  the  Lord  includes  in  it  his  tender- 
ness of  his  honor,  and  terribleness  in  case  of  dishonor. 

His  tenderness  of  his  honor.     The  honor  of  God 

Hea»en  Opcntrt.  1  0 


218  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

is  very  tender  to  him,  he  will  not  lose  a  tittle  of  it : 
"  My  glory  will  I  not  give  to  another,  neither  my 
praise  to  graven  images."  Isa.  42  :  8.  I  will  not,  and 
look  you  to  it  that  you  do  not,  give  away  my  glory. 
"What  was  the  reason  that  God  dealt  so  severely  with 
Eli  and  with  Herod  ?  What  was  Eli's  sin  ?  Why, 
that  he  gave  away  the  honor  of  God  to  his  sons. 
"Thou  honorest  thy  sons  above  me."  1  Samuel, 
2  :  29.  He  was  so  tender  to  his  sons  that,  though 
they  were  become  sons  of  Belial,  and  dealt  so  wickedly 
before  the  Lord,  yet  they  must  be  dealt  gently  with : 
"Nay,  my  sons,  it  is  no  good  thing  that  I  hear  of  you." 
Such  a  slight  reproof  must  serve  in  so  dreadful  a  case; 
he  was  afraid  to  displease  his  sons  by  a  sharper  re- 
proof; this  the  Lord  interprets  as  an  honoring  of  his 
sons  above  him.  Indulgent  parents,  stand  and  trem- 
ble, you  that  can  see  your  children  sin,  and  let  them 
go  with  a  "Nay,  my  sons,  it  is  not  good,"  a  slight  or 
cold  reproof;  this  is  no  other  but  your  honoring  your 
sons  above  your  God.  What  was  Herod's  sin  ?  Acts 
12  :  22,  23.  That  he  gave  not  God  the  glory.  He 
made  an  eloquent  oration,  and  the  people  thereupon 
made  him  a  god:  "The  voice  of  a  god,  and  not  of  a 
man;"  and  he  accepted  the  applause;  and  thereupon 
the  angel  of  the  Lord  smote  him,  that  he  died.  Eli 
sinned  in  giving  the  honor  of  God  to  his  sons,  and 
Herod  in  taking  it  to  himself;  but  God  taught  them 
both  how  dear  his  glory  is  to  him. 

The  jealousy  of  the  Lord  also  includes  his  terrible- 
ness  in  case  of  his  dishonor.  The  above-mentioned 
instances  speak  him  both  tender  and  terrible :  "  The 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  219 

Lord  thy.  God  is  a  consuming  fire,  even  a  jealous 
God."  Deut.  4 :  24.  The  jealousy  of  a  man  is  the 
rage  of  a  man,  Proverbs  6  :  34 ;  and  the  jealousy  of 
God  is  the  rage  and  fury  of  a  God.  "Our  God  is  a 
consuming  fire,"  that  is,  the  fire  of  his  jealousy.  The 
wrath  of  a  king  is  as  the  roaring  of  a  lion ;  when  the 
lion  roareth,  the  beasts  of  the  field  tremble  ;  what 
then  are  the  terrors  of  the  Lord  ?  The  threatenings 
of  the  Lord  are  terrible :  "Consider  this,  ye  that  for- 
get God,  lest  he  tear  you  in  pieces,  and  there  be  none 
to  deliver."  Psalm  50  :  22.  "  I  will  tread  them  in 
mine  anger,  and  trample  them  in  my  fury."  Isaiah 
63  :  3.  His  judgments  are  terrible,  and  he  doeth  ter- 
rible things  in  righteousness.  Go  to  Jerusalem  and 
mount  Zion,  and  behold  the  monuments  of  his  fury 
there.  "Go  to  Shiloh,"  saith  God,  "and  see  what  I 
did  to  it."  Jer.  7  :  12.  But  if  you  go  down  to  Sodom, 
or  look  down  to  Tophet,  and  behold  the  terrors  of  the 
Lord  there ;  or  if  you  look  on  particular  persons,  let 
Nadab  and  Abiliu,  Korah,  Dathan  and  Abiram,  Uz- 
zah,  Uzziah,  Herod,  Ananias  and  Sapphira,  be  instances 
of  his  dreadfulness  and  severity.  This  jealous  God, 
this  terrible  God,  is  the  God  whom  his  people  fear ; 
and  they  fear  him  because  he  is  such  a  jealous  God. 
Who  would  not  fear  thee,  thou  King  of  nations  ?  "Who 
can  stand  before  thee  when  thou  art  angry  ?  My  flesh 
trembleth  for  fear  of  thee,  and  I  am  afraid  of  thy  judg- 
ments. 

Christians,  let  none  say,  "  This  fear  is  not  the  fear 
of  his  children  ;  this  be  to  his  enemies  and  slaves,  not 
his  children  ;  fear  ye  not  their  fear."     But  are  not  all 


220  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

these  things  written  for  our  learning  ?  Is  this  written 
only  for  their  sakes  ?  Or  saith  he  it  not  also  for  our 
sakes  ?  For  our  sakes  no  doubt  this  is  written,  saith 
the  apostle  in  another  case.  Consider  this  scripture 
full  to  this  purpose:  "Now  these  things  were  our 
examples,  to  the  intent  we  should  not  lust  after  evil 
things,  as  they  also  lusted ;  neither  be  ye  idolaters, 
as  were  some  of  them ;  as  it  is  written,  The  people 
sat  down  to  eat  and  drink,  and  rose  up  to  play.  Nei- 
ther let  us  commit  fornication,  as  some  of  them  com- 
mitted, and  fell  in  one  day  three  and  twenty  thousand. 
Neither  let  us  tempt  Christ,  as  some  of  them  also 
tempted,  and  were  destroyed  of  serpents.  Neither 
murmur  ye,  as  some  of  them  also  murmured,  and 
were  destroyed  of  the  destroyer.  Now  all  these 
things  happened  unto  them  for  ensamples ;  and  they 
are  written  for  our  admonition,  upon  whom  the  ends 
of  the  world  are  come.  Wherefore  let  him  that  think- 
eth  he  stand eth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  1  Corin- 
thians, 10 : 6-12. 

Mark,  these  things  are  our  examples.  Are  they 
examples  to  us,  and  not  warnings  too  ?  Are  they 
warnings  to  us,  and  must  we  not  by  them  learn  to 
fear  and  beware  ?  "  Let  him  that  thinketh  he  stand- 
eth,  take  heed  lest  he  fall."  My  soul  standeth  in  a 
sure  place,  my  mountain  is  so  strong  that  I  shall 
never  be  moved ;  I  am  safe  enough ;  I  am  in  Christ, 
and  shall  not  come  into  condemnation.  But  what- 
ever thou  thinkest,  as  sure  as  thou  thinkest  thou 
standest,  take  heed,  take  heed  lest  thou  fall ;  that  is, 
not  only  into  the  same  sins,  but  into  the  same  con- 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  221 

demnation ;  that  is  the  sense  of  the  place.  "  Be- 
cause of  unbelief  they  were  broken  off,  and  thou  stand- 
est  by  faith.  Be  not  high-minded,  but  fear."  Rom. 
11:20. 

No  need  of  fear !  No  need  of  threatenings !  What, 
may  we  burn  half  our  Bible  ?  Can  we  spare  so  great 
a  part  of  what  is  written  ?  Have  we  outgrown  the 
use  of  judgment,  as  soon  as  ever  we  are  partakers  of 
mercy?  Have  we  outgrown  the  use  of  the  scourge, 
as  soon  as  ever  we  are  entered  into  Christ's  school? 
Do  we  find  all  too  little,  mercies,  threatenings,  judg- 
ments, to  keep  our  hearts  in  order  ?  And  yet,  is  it 
more  than  is  needful?  There  arc  two  parties  in  us: 
we  are  flesh,  as  well  as  spirit ;  and  must  not  the  flesh 
be  frightened  ?  Will  love  prevail  with  lust  ?  Surely 
this  slave,  this  son  of  the  bondwoman,  must  be  kept 
in  awe.  Has  God  no  disobedient  children,  no  rebel- 
lious children ;  and  must  these  have  no  other  discipline 
but  strokings  and  dandlings  ? 

Believe  it,  Christians,  God  will  not  have  his  ter- 
rors lost,  nor  lost  to  you ;  God  will  sometimes  make 
his  children  feel  that  he  is  a  terrible  God.  He  is  ter- 
rible out  of  his  holy  place.  Beware  you  be  not  pre- 
sumptuous children.  There  is  a  threefold  presump- 
tion. 1.  A  presumption  upon  temptation,  in  confi- 
dence of  strength.  Some  unwary  souls,  not  knowing 
what  spirit  they  are  of,  supposing  themselves  too  hard 
for  the  devil,  will  be  venturing  within  his  reach,  as 
if  they  would  dare  him  to  try  his  skill  and  power ; 
who,  having  forgotten  this  prayer,  "Lead  us  not  into 
temptation,"  put  themselves  into  the  tempter's  hand: 


222  HEAVEN  OPLNED. 

the  falls  of  such  will  teach  them  to  understand  their 
folly.  2.  Presumption  on  sin,  in  confidence  of  mercy. 
And  that  either  in  confidence  of  mercy  already  ob- 
tained— "I  am  in  Christ,  and  my  sin  shall  not  sepa- 
rate me  from  him ;  whatever  I  do,  I  have  a  pardon 
in  my  hand:"  or  in  hope  of  mercy  at  last — "I  have 
to  do  with  a  merciful  God,  and  therefore  may  ven- 
ture on  a  little  further ;  hereafter  I  will  repent,  and 
then  I  need  not  doubt  of  remission."  3.  Presump- 
tion on  sin,  in  contempt  of  mercy  and  justice:  "I 
will  have  my  sin,  though  I  never  find  mercy ;  I  will 
have  my  will  and  my  way,  and  run  the  hazard  of 
what  follows ;  I  will  take  my  course,  come  on  me 
what  will." 

This  last  sort  presume  to  sin  in  contempt  of  mer- 
cy and  judgment ;  they  are  so  drunken  with  their 
sensual  delights,  and  so  given  over  to  the  hardness  of 
their  hearts,  that  they  neither  value  mercy  nor  fear 
wrath.  "What  do  you  talk  to  me  of  mercy  and 
judgment  to  come  ?  Give  me  my  pleasures,  and  my 
liberties,  and  my  mirth,  and  my  money  :  think  not  to 
make  me  such  a  fool,  to  let  go  the  pleasure  and  com- 
fort of  my  life  for  I  know  not  what  uncertain  fears 
or  hopes."  Such  as  these  have  one  foot  already  in 
hell.  If  it  be  not  yet  thus  with  thee,  thou  darest  not 
contemn  either  mercy  or  judgment ;  also  beware  thou 
be  not  presumptuous  in  the  former  sense.  Be  not 
bold  upon  temptations  ;  think  not  that  thou  art  strong 
to  overcome  a  temptation,  when  thou  art  so  weak  as 
not  to  fear  it ;  he  that  fears  not  a  temptation,  under- 
stands not  it,  or  himself.     But  especially  beware  thou 


A  HEART   TO  FEAR   THE   LORD.  22o 

presume  not  upon  sin,  in  consequence  of  mercy.  Grow 
not  overbold  upon  love  or  patience.  Say  not,  "God 
loves  me,  therefore  I  may  be  bold  to  take  the  more 
liberty,  the  less  care,  the  less  watchfulness,  the  less 
fear,  because  so  much  love."  Spit  in  thy  Father's 
face,  because  he  weeps  over  thy  neck !  Smite  him 
on  the  face,  because  thou  hopest  he  will  not  strike 
again  !  Tear  his  bowels,  because  they  are  so  tender 
towards  thee !  Be  froward,  stubborn,  wanton,  and 
idle,  because  thou  hast  found  him  so  indulgent ! 

Christians,  consider  whether  such  wickedness  hath 
not  sometimes  been  found  in  some  of  our  hearts.  But 
take  heed ;  you  will  find ,  though  he  be  a  tender,  yet 
he  will  not  be  a  weak,  fond  father ;  where  he  loves, 
he  will  be  feared.  Some  as  bold  and  as  confident  as 
you,  have  felt  to  their  cost  what  it  is  to  abuse  pa- 
tience and  kindness ;  his  arrows  in  their  hearts,  his 
terrors  in  their  souls,  have  made  them  know  that  the 
God  of  love  is  a  terrible  God.  And  look  to  it ;  if  thou 
yet  wilt  adventure,  wilt  be  a  wanton  still,  froward,  or 
idle,  or  heedless  still,  he  will  either  lash  thee  into  a 
better  frame,  or  cast  thee  out  as  no  child  of  his,  but  a 
bastard  and  rebel.  If  thou  wilt  not  take  warning  by 
others,  take  heed  lest  he  make  thee  a  warning  to  them 
which  shall  come  after. 

Christians  know,  that  though  God  be  tender  of  his 
saints,  yet  he  is  jealous  for  his  name  ;  he  regards  them 
as  the  apple  of  his  eye,  but  not  above  the  least  tittle 
of  his  honor.  As  God  will  have  us  love  our  neighbor, 
so  he  will  love  his  child  but  as  himself :  first  himself, 
and  then  his  child.     He  will  not  abate  an  iota  of  his 


224  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

glory  to  save  a  world.  As  little  offences  done  to  his 
little  ones,  so  little  sins  allowed  by  them,  are  as  mill- 
stones about  the  neck.  If  they  allow  it  in  themselves, 
yet  heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away  and  fall  to  noth- 
ing, ere  he  allow  it  in  them.  God  will  not,  and  there- 
fore his  children  dare  not  indulge  themselves  in  little 
sins.  They  therefore  fear,  because  he  whom  they 
serve  is  a  jealous  God. 

The  other  ground  of  Christians'  abhorrence  of  evil 
is  their  own  ingenuousness.  This  fear  is  from  love, 
and  is  most  properly  the  fear  of  children.  Children 
may  fear  because  God  is  jealous,  and  so  do  slaves ; 
but  only  children  because  God  is  good.  Children 
fear  because  they  love ;  slaves  fear,  although  they 
hate.  Children  fear  to  be  unworthy ;  slaves,  only  to  be 
unhappy  and  miserable.  There  is  nothing  more  con- 
trary to  an  ingenuous  nature,  than  to  abuse  goodness 
and  kindness ;  to  abuse  goodness  hath  as  black  an  as- 
pect with  such  a  nature,  as  to  provoke  wrath.  They 
"shall  fear  the  Lord  and  his  goodness  in  the  latter 
days."  Hosea  3  : 5.  But  how  can  goodness  be  the 
object  of  fear?  "We  fear  evil,  and  not  good.  The 
meaning  is,  they  shall  fear  to  wrong  or  abuse  good- 
ness. They  shall  fear  to  wrong  the  Lord,  because  he 
is  good,  "in  the  latter  days."  These  latter  days  that 
this  promise  refers  to,  shall  be  days  of  more  grace ; 
wherein  there  shall  be  not  only  a  more  clear  revela- 
tion of  the  goodness  of  God — they  shall  know  the  Lord 
and  his  goodness — but  a  more  plentiful  communica- 
tion and  diffusion  of  the  goodness  of  God :  they  shall 
love  the  Lord  and  his  goodness.     They  shall  both  see 


A  HEART  TO  FEAR  THE  LORD.  225 

themselves  more  obliged  by  goodness,  and  shall  feel 
themselves  more  seasoned  with  goodness.  Religion 
doth  not  make  morose,  but  more  generous,  free,  and 
ingenuous.  There  is  nothing  more  abhorrent  to  an 
ingenuous  spirit,  than  to  be  base  and  unworthy. 
Abuse  of  goodness  is  an  unworthiness,  which  an  in- 
genuous nature  abhors  as  death  to  be  guilty  of;  it 
is  its  destruction,  it  is  disingenuousness.  The  abuse 
of  the  goodness  of  God  is  great  unthankful ness ;  and 
unthankfulness  is  great  disingenuousness. 

Call  me  unthankful,  and  you  call  me  all  that  is 
bad.  Call  me  any  thing  else  but  unthankful.  In- 
deed, were  I  all  thanks,  I  should  still  be  unthankful ; 
I  should  still  be  behindhand  with  the  goodness  of  the 
Lord :  my  debt  is  greater  than  I  can  pay,  yea,  greater 
than  I  can  acknowledge ;  but  shall  I  return  evil  for 
good  ?  If  I  cannot  pay,  should  I  deny  my  debt  ? 
He  that  is  unthankful,  whatever  God  requires  of  him, 
says  wickedly,  This  is  more  than  I  owe  to  thee  ;  God, 
I  owe  thee  nothing,  I  care  not  for  thee.  Oh,  this  is 
dreadful  to  a  gracious  heart. 

If  this  be  in  sin — for  all  sin  is  unthankfulness — if 
this  be  sin,  if  this  be  the  signification  of  all  my  neg- 
lects of  God  and  my  duty  to  him,  then  the  Lord  for- 
bid, whatever  I  suffer,  that  I  should  yield  to  sin.  How 
shall  I  do  this  wickedness  ?  How  shall  I  neglect  this 
duty,  and  sin  against  God  ?  How  shall  I  look  my 
God  or  my  own  soul  in  the  face,  should  I  be  so  un- 
worthy ?  For  thy  sake,  Lord,  let  me  not  sin  against 
thee  ;  thou  art  good,  thou  art  kind,  thou  art  gracious, 
thou  art  holy ;  0  let  me  not  be  a  devil :  what  heart, 
10* 


226  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

where  a  devil  is  not,  but  such  goodness  will  charm  it 
into  love  ?  Shall  I  sin  ?  Shall  I  rebel  ?  For  thy 
sake,  Lord,  I  will  not  do  it;  I  will  not  for  my  own 
sake ;  for  where  then  shall  I  appear  ?  In  sinning 
against  God,  I  sin  against  my  own  soul ;  I  dare  not 
for  my  life ;  sin  and  death,  sin  and  hell  are  linked 
together ;  but  were  it  not  so,  might  I  sin  and  escape, 
sin  and  not  die,  yet  for  thy  sake,  Lord,  I  will  not  do 
it.  Thou  art  good,  good  in  thyself,  good  to  me  :  thou 
art  my  G-od,  thou  art  my  Father  ;  love,  care,  tender- 
ness, compassion,  kindness,  is  all  that  is  in  thy  heart 
towards  me:  what  I  am,  what  I  have,  what  I  hope 
for,  that  I  breathe,  that  I  live,  all  is  thy  goodness,  thy 
bounty  to  me.  0  let  me  not  rise  up  against  the  womb 
that  bare  me,  and  the  paps  that  gave  me  suck.  I 
would  not  to  my  child,  to  my  servant,  to  my  friend — 
but  0,  let  me  never  to  my  Father,  to  my  God — return 
"evil  for  good,  and  hatred  for  his  good-will."  Let 
not  this  evil  which  I  fear,  ever  come  upon  me ;  put 
thy  fear  into  my  heart,  0  Lord,  that  I  may  not  sin 
against  thee. 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  227 


CHAPTER   XII. 


AN    OBEDIENT    HEART. 


"I  will  put  my  Spirit  within  you,  and  cause  you 
to  walk  in  my  statutes ;  and  ye  shall  keep  my  judg- 
ments and  do  them."  Ezek.  36  :  27.  Obedience  is  of 
the  heart  or  of  the  life.  In  this  scripture,  God  under- 
takes for  both. 

I.  For  the  obedience  of  the  heart,  he  under- 
takes in  the  former  words,  I  will  put  my  Spirit  in  your 
heart.  Where  Satan  dwells,  he  rules  ;  and  where  the 
Spirit  of  the  Lord  dwells,  there  God  rules.  The  Spir- 
it in  the  heart  is  the  law  of  the  heart.  Those  two 
promises,  "  I  will  put  my  Spirit  in  your  hearts,"  and 
"I  will  write  my  law  in  your  hearts,"  signify  the 
same  thing.  The  law  in  the  heart,  is  the  will  of  man 
melted  into  the  will  of  God.  The  law  of  God  may  be 
in  the  mouth,  and  the  heart  a  rebel ;  its  reception  into 
the  heart  denotes  the  heart's  subjection  to  it.  This 
obedience  of  the  heart  includes, 

The  opening  of  the  heart  to  the  word.  What  wilt 
thou  have  me  to  do,  Lord  ?  That  is  the  voice  of  an 
obedient  heart.  Speak,  Lord,  command,  Lord ;  what 
wilt  thou  ?  And  when  he  speaks,  whatever  it  be,  the 
word  is  embraced  and  accepted  by  the  heart.  "  Let 
my  counsel  be  acceptable  to  thee."  Dan.  4  :  27.  The 
acceptance  of  the  word  in  the  heart  is  signified  by  its 


228  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

hearkening  to  it.  To  hearken  is  more  than  to  hear ; 
though  they  sometimes  denote  the  same  thing,  yet 
ordinarily,  hearing  is  of  the  ear,  hearkening  of  the 
heart.  "My  people  would  not  hearken  to  my  voice, 
and  Israel  would  none  of  me."  Psalm  81 :  11.  They 
heard  what  the  Lord  spoke,  but  they  would  not  heark- 
en ;  that  is,  as  it  is  there  interpreted,  they  would  none 
of  the  Lord.  They  rejected  the  word  of  the  Lord 
which  he  spoke  unto  them.  When  the  word  is  suf- 
fered to  come  in  with  authority,  to  rule  in  the  soul — 
when  the  heart  gives  up  itself  unto  it,  then  it  is  ac- 
cepted ;  there  is  its  hearkening  to  it. 

This  obedience  likewise  includes  the  resolution  of 
the  heart  for  the  work  of  the  Lord.  "  I  have  sworn, 
and  I  will  perform  it,  that  I  will  keep  thy  righteous 
judgments."  Psalm  119  :  106.  I  have  vowed,  and  I 
will  perform ;  I  have  covenanted,  and  I  am  deter- 
mined to  keep  thy  statutes.  "The  word  which  thou 
hast  spoken  to  us  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  we  will 
not  do;"  that  is  the  rebellious  heart:  "Whatsoever 
the  Lord  shall  speak,  we  will  do  ;"  that  is  the  obedient 
heart. 

Where  the  heart  is  thus  resolved  to  obey,  this  is 
that  obedience  which  shall  be  accepted  unto  salva- 
tion. Where  this  resolution  is,  as  there  is  opportu- 
nity there  will  be  practice ;  and  where  there  is  not 
opportunity,  in  Grod's  account  this  obedient  heart  will 
be  accepted.  This  is  praying,  this  is  hearing,  this  is 
giving  and  feeding  and  clothing  and  visiting;  this  is 
walking  circumspectly,  working  righteousness,  show- 
ing mercy,  exercising  faith  and  patience  and  repent- 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  229 

ance  ;  this  is  keeping  the  commandments  of  God.  and 
walking  in  his  statutes.  A  heart  to  obey,  is  our 
obeying  ;  a  heart  to  do,  is  our  doing ;  a  heart  to  suffer 
on  God's  account,  is  our  suffering  for  his  name. 

But  here  it  must  be  carefully  noted,  that  though 
sincere  resolution  for  obedience  be  obedience,  yet  every 
resolution  is  not  that  resolution.  Resolution  for  obe- 
dience is  sincere  where  it  flows  from  an  inward  and 
rooted  inclination;  is  founded  on  a  firm  belief  of  scrip- 
ture revelation  ;  is  built  on  the  highest  and  weightiest 
reasons ;  and  is  the  result  of  the  most  mature  and 
deep  deliberation. 

1.  A  sincere  resolution  flows  from  an  inward 
rooted  inclination :  "I  have  inclined  my  heart  to 
perform  thy  statutes  alway."  Psalm  119: 112.  Our 
new  purpose  is  from  our  new  nature;  It  is  not  pro- 
duced by  some  sudden  fright,  or  sense  of  danger ;  or 
merely  by  a  present  force  of  argument ;  but  by  a 
divine  power  working  the  heart  to  the  will  and  ways 
of  God,  and  an  habitual  inclination  thereto.  Resolu- 
tion for  holiness,  without  a  holy  inclination,  is  a  blade 
without  a  root ;  fresh  and  green  as  it  looks,  it  will 
wither  and  come  to  nothing — no  root,  no  fruit,  nor 
lasting.  The  heart  is  the  root  of  action,  and  grace  is 
the  life  of  the  root.  When  our  resolutions  are  the 
blade  sprouting  forth  of  this  living  root,  then  they  will 
abide,  and  bring  forth  the  ear  and  a  harvest. 

2.  A  sincere  resolution  is  founded  on  a  firm  assent 
to  the  truth  of  scripture  revelation.  A  Christian 
resolves  for  godliness  because  he  believes  God,  that 
he  is  as  he  hath  said,  the  rewarder  of  them  that  dili- 


230  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

gently  seek  him.  He  is  built  on  the  Scriptures ;  as 
his  hopes,  so  his  purposes  have  the  foundation  of  the 
prophets  and  apostles,  on  which  they  stand.  What- 
ever resolution  has  not  this  foundation  is  but  as  a  house 
upon  the  sands. 

3.  A  sincere  resolution  is  founded  on  the  highest 
reason.  "Where  we  resolve  without  reason,  we  quickly 
find  a  reason  to  change.  "Where  we  resolve  we  know 
not  why,  we  shall  change  we  know  not  how  soon. 
To  resolve  we  know  not  why,  and  to  resolve  on  we 
know  not  what,  will  be  alike  unstable.  Though  there 
be  reason  for  religion,  yet  religion  may  be  taken  up 
without  reason.  Whatever  reason  there  be  for  it,  yet 
if  it  be  not  understood  or  considered,  it  is  all  one  as 
if  there  were  no  reason  at  all.  And  if  there  seem 
some  reason  for  it,  yet  if  it  be  not  the  highest  reason, 
when  a  stronger  than  it  comes  we  quickly  change  our 
purpose. 

The  reasons  we  have  for  serving  and  following 
God  are  the  highest  of  all  reasons,  and  that  whether 
we  respect  ,it  as  our  duty  or  our  happiness ;  for, 

There  is  none  can  lay  such  claims  to  us  as  God. 
Whose  am  I?  Who  hath  made  me?  Who  hath 
bought  me  ?  "  Glorify  God  in  your  body  and  in  your 
spirit,  which  are  God's."  1  Cor.  6  :  20.  "Serve  the 
Lord  with  gladness.  Know  ye  that  the  Lord  he  is 
God ;  it  is  he  that  hath  made  us,  and  not  we  our- 
selves ;  we  are  his  people,  and  the  sheep  of  his  pas- 
ture." Psalm  100 : 2,  3.  What  reason  have  you  to 
serve  men,  or  to  serve  sin,  or  the  world  ?  Men  think 
they  have  reason  for  it;  but  what  reason?     Are  any 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  231 

of  these  God  ?  Are  men  your  God  ?  Is  sin  or  the 
world  God  ?  Do  you  owe  yourselves  to  them  ?  It  is 
he  that  hath  made  us,  and  his  we  are.  As  the  apos- 
tle saith  concerning  obedience  to  parents,  much  more 
may  it  be  said  here,  Children,  obey  your  God ;  for 
this  is  right;  this  is  his  due,  and  your  duty:  if  any 
one  can  lay  as  good  a  claim  to  you,  let  him  carry  you 
away  for  servants. 

There  is  none  can  be  better  to  us  than  God. 
None  can  requite,  none  can  reward  our  obedience  as 
he.  Where  can  you  be  better  than  with  God  ?  He 
will  require  no  more  than  that  you  serve  him  till 
you  can  find  a  better  master.  He  that  says,  It  is 
best  to  serve  sin  and  the  world,  is  a  fool,  and  has 
said  in  his  heart,  There  is  no  God.  If  God  be  God, 
he  is  the  chief,  yea,  the  only  good.  If  any  thing 
in  the  world,  upon  what  account  soever,  be  thought 
better  than  the  Lord,  that  is  set  up  for  a  god  in  his 
room. 

Whomsoever  we  serve,  it  is  God  must  pay  us  our 
ivages  at  last.  God  is  judge  ;  he  is  the  rewarder  both 
of  the  evil  and  the  good — both  of  those  who  serve  him 
and  those  who  serve  him  not.  If  you  serve  the  Lord, 
he  will  be  your  reward  ;  if  you  serve  him  not,  he  will 
reward  you:  but  what  reward  have  you?  "Those, 
mine  enemies,  which  would  not  have  me  reign  over 
them,  bring  them,  and  slay  them  before  me ;"  there 
is  their  reward.  Sin  has  its  rewards  ;  but  what  are 
they  but  vanity  and  vexation  ?  Or  if  they  were  better, 
how  long  will  they  last?  But  when  sin  has  paid  the 
most  it  can,  0  what  a  reward  is  there  behind,  that 


232  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

God  has  to  pay  you!  "This  shall  ye  have  of  my 
hand,  ye  shall  lie  down  in  sorrow." 

The  wages  which  God  will  give  shall  certainly  be 
blessed  or  dreadful,  according  to  our  obedience  or 
disobedience.  The  reward  that  God  has  to  give  is  an 
eternal  reward :  eternal  salvation  to  them  that  obey 
him ;  everlasting  destruction  to  him  that  serveth  him 
not.  "I  have  a  soul ;  this  body  is  the  least  part  of  me ; 
there  is  another  world,  a  world  to  come ;  a  few  years 
is  the  most  I  have  to  spend  in  this ;  I  must  abide 
eternally,  eternally  in  the  other  world.  Of  how  little 
consequence  is  it  what  I  have  here,  whether  little  or 
more,  better  or  worse  ;  in  a  short  time  that  will  come 
all  to  one.  But  0,  my  eternity!  what  is  that  like  to 
be  ?  Why,  it  is  God  that  must  determine  it,  and  he 
will  certainly  reward  every  man  according  to  his 
works.  '  Who  will  render  to  every  man  according  to 
his  deeds :  to  them  who  by  patient  continuance  in 
well-doing,  seek  for  glory  and  honor  and  immortality, 
eternal  life ;  but  unto  them  that  are  contentious,  and 
do  not  obey  the  truth,  tribulation  and  anguish.'  Rom. 
2  :  6-9.  There  is  glory  and  shame,  mercy  and  wrath, 
life  and  death,  set  before  me  ;  there  is  no  third  state  ; 
one  of  the  two  must  be  my  lot;  and  this  it  is  that 
determines  which — if  I  obey  I  live,  if  I  disobey  I  die 
for  ever." 

Now  then,  my  resolution  is  founded  on  such  rea- 
sons as  these,  than  which  none  can  be  imagined 
higher  and  more  weighty,  till  eternity  become  of  less 
regard  than  time,  and  an  immortal  soul  be  set  below 
a  perishing  body.     The  question  being  put,  Shall  I 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  233 

follow  God  or  not  ?  God  or  the  world  ?  God  or  my 
lust?  speak,  soul,  give  in  thy  answer;  this  is  the 
answer  it  gives:  "Why,  there  is  none  can  lay  such 
claim  to  me  as  God;  there  is  none  can  be  good  to 
me  as  God :  whomsoever  I  serve,  it  is  God  must  be 
my  rewarder;  my  everlasting  blessedness,  or  eternal 
ruin,  depends  on  him,  and  must  be  infallibly  deter- 
mined according  to  my  obedience  or  disobedience. 
This  is  the  plain  case — obey,  and  live ;  obey,  or  die  for 
ever.  And  therefore  what  can  I  say,  less  or  more, 
but  that  I  am  the  Lord's,  and  will  be  his  servant. 
Let  others  choose  whom  they  will  serve ;  as  for  me, 
0  my  soul,  serve  thou  the  Lord."  This  resolution, 
thus  founded,  is  like  to  stand. 

4.  A  sincere  resolution  is  the  fruit  of  mature  de- 
liberation. Deliberation  gives  reason  its  full  weight, 
makes  the  strength  of  it  appear ;  it  lays  all  things  in 
the  balance;  it  is  the  comparing  of  reasons  for  and 
against,  the  weighing  of  arguments  and  objections, 
encouragements  and  discouragements ;  counting  the 
cost,  as  well  as  the  gain,  particularly.  In  this  delib- 
eration there  must  be  a  considering,  1.  What  there  is 
in  this  obedience ;  2.  What  it  is  attended  ivith,  that 
may  encourage. 

There  must  be  a  considering  what  there  is  in 
this  obedience ;  or  otherwise  we  resolve  upon  we  know 
not  what.  Now  there  are  five  things  in  this  obedi- 
ence:  1.  Subjection;  2.  Activity  and  industry ;  3.  In- 
tegrity; 4.  Circumspection;  5.  Spirituality. 

(1.)  Subjection.  Servants  must  be  subject,  must 
not  be  at  their  own  wills,  but  at  the  will  of  another. 


234  HEAVEN  "OPENED. 

The  heart  of  man  naturally  affects  dominion  ;  that  is 
the  great  controversy  of  sinners  with  God.  "Who  shall 
be  Lord  ?  "  We  are  lords" — at  least  we  would  be — "  we 
will  come  no  more  unto  thee."  Jer.  2  :  31.  Obedience 
yields  that  Grod  should  be  Lord;  yea,  and  all  others 
also  whom  he  has  made  lords  over  us.  The  servants 
of  Christ  must  not  be,  and  yet  must  be,  the  servants 
of  men ;  they  must  not  serve  the  lusts  of  rulers,  but 
must  be  subject  to  their  righteous  laws  and  com- 
mands. God  must  be  obeyed,  and  magistrates,  min- 
isters, masters,  parents  must  be  obeyed  in  the  Lord, 
and  for  the  Lord ;  yea,  and  they  must  be,  when  Gfod 
will  have  it  so,  the  servant  of  servants. 

While  they  must  not  serve  the  humors  of  the 
greatest,  they  must  serve  the  necessities  of  the  mean- 
est, must  stoop  to  the  lowest  of  offices,  even  to  the 
washing  of  the  feet  of  the  least  disciple.  All  this  the 
Lord  expects  of  them,  and  they  must  be  subject. 
They  must  not  dispute,  but  do  his  will;  only  it  must 
be  considered  that  there  is  a  double  questioning  as  to 
the  will  of  God.  There  is  a  questioning  whether  that 
which  is  pretended  to  be  the  will  of  God,  be  so  or  not; 
this  ought  to  be  done.  And  there  is  a  questioning  as  to 
that  which  is  granted  to  be  the  will  of  God,  whether  it 
be  fit  to  be  done,  or  safe  to  be  done.  "Is  it  not  better 
to  let  it  alone  ?  What  advantage  is  there  in  it  ?  What 
reason  is  there  for  it  ?"  No,  they  must  not  thus  dispute ; 
this  is  reason  enough,  "God  will  have  it  so."  God's 
will  is  ever  reason,  and  it  must  be  our  reason.  It  is 
enough  for  thee  to  say,  This  is  that  which  the  Lord 
hath  commanded,   and  I  must  be  subject.     This  is 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  235 

one  thing  that  must  be  considered,  I  will  obey,  and 
must  be  subject  to  God. 

(2.)  Activity  and  industry.  The  servants  of  the 
Lord  must  be  active  and  industrious.  Whom  he  sends 
into  the  vineyard  he  sends  to  work,  and  not  to  sleep. 
The  life  of  a  Christian  is  laborious :  while  others  are 
in  their  beds,  he  must  be  on  his  knees ;  while  others 
take  their  pleasure,  ho  must  take  pains;  while  others 
take  their  times,  now  a  little  and  then  a  little,  he 
must  be  ever  about  his  Master's  business.  An  active 
spirit  is  an  excellent  spirit,  and  necessary  in  a  Chris- 
tian ;  sluggards  are  the  refuse  of  the  earth. 

But  here  it  must  be  considered  that  there  is  a 
double  activity,  gracious  and  natural.  Natural  ac- 
tivity arises  from  an  innate  vigor  and  vivacity  of 
some  men's  spirits.  There  needs  not  industry  in  such 
to  bring  forth  action;  it  is  but  leaving  nature  to  its 
course,  and  that  will  fly  high  enough  of  itself.  It 
requires  more  industry  to  regulate,  and  sometimes  to 
restrain  them,  than  to  put  them  forth  into  action.  It 
is  more  labor  for  them  to  rest  than  to  be  doing.  Gra- 
cious activity  is  either  natural  activity  managed  and 
improved  for  God,  turned  into  a  right  course,  running 
in  a  right  channel;  or  a  naturally  inactive  spirit, 
raised  and  quickened  by  grace  and  religious  industry. 
This  gracious,  this  holy  activity,  this  is  the  excellency ; 
it  is  the  extract  of  the  spirits  and  life  of  all  our  gifts 
and  graces;  and  will  go  further,  and  do  more  high 
honor,  and  more  abundant  service  to  God  and  his 
gospel,  than  is  done  by  a  thousand  others. 

An  active  sinner  is  the  worst  of  men ;  how  much 


236  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

service  for  the  devil  will  lie  dispatch  in  a  little  time ! 
An  active  sinner  is  life  and  death  met  together.  He 
is  all  life,  and  yet  dead;  and  he  has  more  of  death, 
because  so  much  of  life :  like  poison  in  wine,  he  de- 
stroys the  more  effectually.  Yet  the  evil  is  not  in  his 
activity,  hut  in  the  matter  wherein  he  is  employed : 
the  good  metal,  as  giving  keenness  to  a  weapon,  is  its 
excellency ;  hut  in  a  madman's  hand,  better  a  wooden 
than  a  steel  sword.  An  active  spirit  is  so  excellent, 
that  it  is  a  pity  that  ever  sin  should  have  the  using 
of  it;  it  were  well  for  religion  if  the  devil  were  a 
drone,  and  had  no  other  servants  but  the  sluggards  of 
the  earth.  But  activity,  when  set  right,  is  of  great 
price  in  the  sight  of  God,  because  it  sets  a  great  price 
upon  God.  Slothfulness  puts  a  slight  upon  Grod — 
when  the  Scriptures  have  set  forth  the  great  things, 
and  the  deep  things  of  God ;  when  the  Lord  Jesus  is 
evidently  set  forth  as  crucified  before  our  eyes,  as  the 
propitiation  for  sin  ;  when  the  preciousness  of  his 
blood,  the  tenderness  of  his  compassion,  the  riches  of 
his  grace,  the  sufficiency  of  his  righteousness,  his 
satisfaction  and  pardon,  are  all  held  forth  in  open 
sight ;  when  the  beauties  of  holiness,  the  joys  of  the 
Spirit,  that  peace  which  passeth  all  understanding, 
are  laid  forth  to  view ;  when  the  most  glorious  things 
are  spoken  of  the  city  of  God,  Jerusalem  which  is 
above;  when  God  in  his  word  calls  to  us,  Awake, 
sleepers,  arise,  sluggards,  see  what  is  before  you — 
all  this  may  be  yours  if  you  will:  slothfulness  puts 
this  slight  upon  all,  Tush !  all  this  is  not  worth  break- 
ing my  sleep  for;  it  is  not  all  worth  my  labor  to  seek 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  237 

after;  my  ease  is  better  to  me  than  God  and  all  his 
glory. 

We  may  best  understand  the  value  we  put  on 
things,  by  the  pains  and  the  cost  we  are  content  to 
be  at  to  purchase  them.  When  sinners  bestow  them- 
selves so  upon  the  world,  will  bear  such  labor  and 
travail,  are  so  constantly,  so  indefatigably  industrious 
in  the  pursuit  of  it,  and  withal  run  such  hazards  and 
dangers  for  it,  they  make  it  evident  enough  what  esti- 
mate they  put  upon  it.  He  whose  time  and  strength, 
whose  days  and  nights,  yea,  whose  soul  and  hopes, 
must  all  be  laid  out  in  a  purchase,  must  all  go  for  a 
piece  of  land,  or  a  little  money  or  pleasure,  need  give 
us  no  other  proof  what  a  bargain  he  thinks  this  world 
to  be.  "I  care  not  much  for  this  world :  it  is  a  vanity, 
a  shadow,  the  fashion  of  it  passeth  away ;  I  hope  it  is 
far  enough  off  my  heart,  however  I  am  charged  with 
greediness  after  it."  But  what  then  mean  all  the 
'  expenses  of  thy  time,  of  thy  strength,  of  thy  spirits, 
that  thou  daily  layest  out  upon  it  ?  What  means  so 
much  hunting  after,  and  heaping  it  up  for  thyself? 
What,  hast  thou  been  hunting  all  this  while  after 
shadows,  heaping  up  vanities?  No,  no,  thou  mis- 
takest  thyself,  these  shadows  are  thy  substance — these 
vanities  are  the  god  whom  thou  adorest ;  if  thou 
didst  not  prize,  thou  wouldst  not  venture  so  deeply 
for  them. 

And  so  on  the  other  side,  when  so  little  is  done 
for  God — when  any  thing  must  suffice  to  be  spent  on 
souls  or  eternity,  what  cheap  things  do  we  count 
them !  "  I  love  God  above  all,  with  all  my  heart,  with 


238  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

all  my  soul;  he  is  all  my  hope,  and  all  my  desire. 
What  a  miserable  creature  were  I,  if  it  were  not  for 
my  hope  in  God !  What  would  all  the  world  be  to 
me,  should  I  lose  my  soul?"  But  dost  thou  speak  in 
earnest  ?  Dost  thou  think  what  thou  speakest  ?  What, 
and  such  a  very  drone  in  seeking  God?  What,  and 
so  indifferent,  so  cold,  and  so  spiritless  in  thy  inquiries 
after  him,  in  thy  motions  towards  him ;  so  sparing  of 
thy  labor,  so  negligent  of  duty,  so  seldom  at  it,  so  soon 
weary,  so  many  delays,  so  many  excuses?  How  many 
times  has  God  called  thee  after  him,  and  all  thine 
answer  has  been  an  excuse :  an  excuse  instead  of  an 
ordinance,  an  excuse  instead  of  a  prayer,  an  excuse 
instead  of  action,  an  excuse  instead  of  alms,  an  excuse 
instead  of  an  admonition  or  a  reproof;  if  he  will  be 
served  with  excuses,  he  shall  have  service  enough,  but 
little  besides.  " I  am  weary,"  or  "it  is  too  late,"  or  "it 
is  cold;"  and  so  a  short  and  hasty  prayer  must  serve, 
or  none  at  all.  "  I  have  much  business  upon  me,  a ' 
family,  a  farm,  and  the  cares  and  troubles  of  it,  that 
I  cannot  have  so  much  time  nor  freedom  to  attend 
upon  God  as  others  have ;"  and  so  a  sermon  lost,  an 
ordinance  lost.  ' '  I  live  among  ill  neighbors ;  if  I  should 
be  so  forward  and  so  active  for  God,  so  zealous,  and 
so  spiritual  in  my  discourse,  in  my  way,  I  should  be 
but  a  scoff  and  a  reproach,  and  it  may  be  a  prey  to 
evil  men.  I  want  ability  to  speak  to  the  edification 
of  others,  I  have  not  the  boldness  others  have,  to 
reprove  or  admonish ;  I  pray  thee  have  me  excused." 
Wise  men  indeed !  an  excuse  instead  of  a  duty ! 
It  is  all  one,  as  if  when  the  Lord  calls  to  thee,  Come 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  239 

to  me  and  be  saved,  thy  answer  should  be,  I  pray  thee 
excuse  me,  I  must  to  the  devil  and  be  damned. 

But  is  this  thy  love,  is  this  thy  zeal,  is  this  thy  val- 
uing of  God  above  all  ?  Tremble,  sluggard ;  whatever 
excuses  thou  findest  to  substitute  in  the  room  of  duty, 
this  is  that  thou  canst  never  excuse  nor  acquit  thyself 
of — a  slighting  of  God.  Thy  very  excuses  will  accuse 
thee  as  a  slothful  servant,  and  thy  sloth  as  a  slighter 
of  God.  "While  the  apostle  says,  "I  reckon  that  the 
sufferings  of  this  life  are  not  worthy  to  be  compared 
with  the  glory  that  shall  be  revealed,"  thou  sayest, 
But  I  reckon  that  all  the  glory  to  come  is  not  worthy 
to  be  compared  with  the  present  labor. 

But  now  activity  and  industry  put  a  great  value 
upon  God;  this  is  written  upon  all  our  labors,  He  is 
worthy  for  whom  I  do  all  this.  Some  of  the  most 
humble,  watchful,  laborious  Christians  do  sometimes 
complain,  "Oh,  I  fear  I  love  not  God;  his  favor,  his 
honor,  is  little  set  by  of  me."  But  whence  then  is  thy 
care  to  please  God?  Whence  are  all  thy  labors  of 
love  ?  Dost  thou  watch  and  pray  and  work  and  run  ? 
Canst  thou  spend  and  be  spent  for  God,  and  yet  not 
love  him  ?  Dost  thou  live  to  God,  canst  thou  die  for 
God,  and  yet  not  prize  him  ?  What  greater  proof  canst 
thou  give  of  love,  than  such  labor  ? 

Activity  is  also  necessary.  It  is  vain  to  think  of 
making  any  thing  of  religion  without  it ;  the  work  of 
it  is  too  great  to  be  done  by  lying  still — the  comforts 
of  it  lie  too  deep  to  be  got  out  by  a  wish.  There  is 
many  a  poor  man  in  this  world,  that  would  be  the 
richest  man  in  the  country  if  riches  might  be  gotten 


210  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

by  a  wish  :  he  may  as  soon  wish  himself  into  wealth, 
as  thou  into  grace  and  comfort.  This  one  thing, 
men's  not  being  able  to  bear  the  labor  of  religion,  is  a 
lock  on  which  many  a  soul  hath  split  and  suffered  an 
eternal  wreck. 

He  that  has  some  love  to  holiness,  and  yet  not  so 
much  as  to  carry  him  through  the  work  of  holiness, 
is  short  of  sincerity;  and  short  of  sincerity,  short  of 
salvation.  He  that  sticks  not  at  labor,  will  not  stick 
at  suffering:  he  that  shrinks  from  doing,  will  shrink 
from  suffering.  Say  not,  There  is  a  lion  in  the  streets. 
Overcome  the  lion,  and  you  will  not  fear  the  bear. 
Pass  the  first,  and  thou  wilt  be  the  more  bold  to  ven- 
ture the  latter.  Holy  activity  will  be  a  witness  to  thy 
sincerity;  carry  this  witness  in  thy  heart,  and  then 
which  way  soever  the  world  may  go,  and  what  storms 
soever  may  fall,  thou  wilt  have  this  to  uphold  thee — 
Integrity  and  uprightness  shall  preserve  me,  and  eter- 
nity reward  me.  Where  sincerity  is  the  root,  and 
holy  activity  the  blossom,  an  eternal  weight  of  glory 
shall  be  the  fruit.  Lie  idle,  and  all  will  be  lost. 
Take  heed  of,  "Soul,  take  thine  ease,"  lest  the  next 
word  thou  hear  be,  "This  night  shall  thy  soul  be 
required  of  thee."  This  is  the  second  thing  included 
in  obedience,  which  must  be  considered.  I  will  obey ; 
but  can  I  labor? 

(3.)  Integrity.  The  obedience  which  (rod  ex- 
pects must  be  entire  obedience ;  not  only  the  obedience 
of  the  whole  man,  but  to  the  whole  will  of  Grod. 
"Then  shall  I  not  be  ashamed,  when  I  have  respect 
to  all  thy  commandments."     Psa.  119  :  6.     "As  obe- 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  241 

dient  children,  be  ye"  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversa- 
tion." 1  Pet.  1 :  14,  15.  ''Teaching  them  to  observe 
all  things  whatsoever  I  have  commanded  you."  Matt. 
28  :  20.  But  of  this  having  spoken  more  largely  else- 
where, it  shall  suffice  to  give  some  short  hints  of  one 
comprehensive  duty,  wherein  all  the  rest  are  included, 
and  on  which  they  depend  ;  and  that  is,  the  holding 
up  and  maintaining  GocPs  authority  in  the  soul.  As 
God  has  set  up  his  authority  over  the  soul,  that  is, 
his  word,  which  is  to  have  the  government  of  it ;  so 
has  he  set  up  an  authority  in  the  soul,  the,  understand- 
ing, and  the  conscience.  As  these  powers  are  under 
the  authority  of  the  word,  so  they  are  set  in  authority 
over  the  subordinate  and  inferior  faculties,  the  will, 
and  the  passions  or  affections.  But  sin  now  has  made 
a  mutiny  and  insurrection:  the  will  rises  against  rea- 
son, and  will  not  be  guided  ;  the  passions  rebel  against 
conscience,  and  will  not  be  governed  ;  nay,  they  do 
not  only  resist,  but  take  upon  them  to  command  and 
impose  upon  conscience.  What  the  will  would  have, 
conscience  must  say  it  is  reason  it  should  have — must 
be  put  to  work  to  find  out  arguments  to  prove  will  to 
be  reason,  and  to  determine  that  what  the  will  would 
have  done,  ought  to  be  done.  We  easily  bring  our 
opinion  to  our  affection — bring  ourselves  to  believe 
that  to  be  right,  which  we  are  unreasonably  willing 
to  have  to  be  right.  But  if  it  cannot  prevail  so  far 
as  to  gain  conscience  to  say  that  is  right  which  it 
would  have  to  be  right,  then  it  will  strive  hard  to 
carry  it,  whether  it  be  right  or  wrong.  And  this 
rebellion  of  the  will  and  the  passions  against  con- 

11 


242  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

science,  is  the  great  cause  of  the  soul's  rebellion 
against  God. 

When  conscience  has  lost  its  authority,  God's 
authority  is  gone.  While  the  understanding  and  the 
conscience  are  maintained  in  their  due  authority, 
where  the  will  and  affections  are  held  in  their  due 
subjection,  there  the  Lord  reigns.  While  conscience 
rightly  informed  has  its  due,  God  shall  have  his  due; 
where  the  will  and  the  passions  have  no  more  than 
their  due,  He  shall  have  his  own.  God  shall  be 
willed  the  more,  where  nothing  else  is  willed  too 
much.  God  shall  be  loved  the  more  and  feared  the 
more,  where  nothing  else  is  loved  and  feared  too 
much.  The  more  anger,  the  more  hatred,  the  more 
grief  will  be  spent  upon  sin,  if  it  be  not  inordinately 
spent  elsewhere.  0  how  much  service  might  be 
done,  and  how  much  quiet  would  be  enjoyed  in  the 
heart,  were  this  authority  and  subjection  maintained 
and  held  up ! 

We  may  say  of  our  affections,  as  men  say  of  fire 
and  water,  They  are  the  worst  masters,  but  the  best 
servants.  How  much  would  the  Lord  have  of  us, 
were  these  only  the  executioners  of  his  will !  If  con- 
science be  commanded  by  the  word,  and  the  will  and 
affections  would  be  commanded  by  conscience,  what 
would  there  then  be  wanting  ?  We  should  then  not 
only  be  abundantly  serviceable,  but  all  would  be  se- 
rene and  sweet  and  comfortable  within  us.  If  nothing 
were  willed  but  what  should  be  willed,  we  should 
ever  have  our  will.  If  nothing  were  desired  but 
what  should  be  desired,  and  no  more  than  it  should 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  243 

be  loved  or  desired,  we  should  ever  have  what  we 
love.  If  we  were  not  angry,  or  grieved,  or  afraid, 
but  where  we  ought,  and  no  more  than  we  ought, 
what  a  calm  would  there  be  upon  our  spirits,  even  in 
cases  wherein  the  spirits  of  others  arc  like  a  troubled 
pea,  that  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire  and 
dirt.  But  where  there  is  such  disorder,  such  rebellion 
of  the  inferior  against  the  superior  faculties,  there  we 
are  at  a  perpetual  loss,  both  in  point  of  duty  and 
comfort.  This  therefore  is  necessary,  if  we  will  be 
obedient ;  and  those  who  have  made  trial  what  there 
is  in  it,  do  understand  that  this  is  hard  work. 

I  shall  instance  some  few  particular  duties  that 
are  harder  than  others.  He  that  will  be  entirely 
obedient,  must  stick  at  nothing  that  God  will  have. 
There  is  scarcely  any  thing  that  God  requires,  but 
lust  will  be  quarrelling  at  it  as  too  hard ;  but  there  are 
some  duties  harder  than  others.  It  shall  suffice  only 
to  name  them :  The  denial  of  ourselves ;  disobliging 
our  nearest  friends ;  loving  our  enemies ;  disobeying 
all  the  world  in  their  unrighteous  commands ;  obey- 
ing God  rather  than  men ;  returning  good  for  evil ; 
reproving  men  for  sin,  especially  if  they  be  superiors, 
or  men  on  whom  we  have  some  dependence  ;  and  the 
sacrificing  our  Isaac,  yea,  parting  with  all  that  we 
have.  This  then  must  be  considered.  You  will  obey ; 
but  are  you  for  any  thing,  for  every  thing  the  Lord 
requires  ? 

(4.)  Circumspection  and  care :  "  See  that  ye  walk 
circumspectly."  Eph.  5  :  15.  A  little  labor  will  go 
far  with  care,  but  will  be  nothing  without  it.     It  is 


244  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

not  he  that  is  hot  and  busy  and  active  at  all  adven- 
tures, hut  he  that  keeps  to  his  line  and  his  rule,  who 
is  the  obedient  Christian.  It  is  not  so  much  action  as 
regular  action,  wherein  the  life  of  Christianity  lies. 
He  that  lives  by  rule,  peace  be  on  him,  and  mercy. 
Activity  without  discretion  is  extravagance ;  it  is 
watchfulness  that  keeps  within  compass.  He  that  is 
all  action,  has  the  more  need  of  caution.  A  Christian 
must  have  his  eyes  in  his  head,  as  well  as  a  soul  in 
his  body.  He  that  resolves  well  in  generals,  and  comes 
not  off  well  in  particulars,  does  but  build  castles  in 
the  air.  What  we  ordinarily  are  in  particulars  will 
best  prove  what  we  are.  He  that  is  for  any  thing  but 
this,  any  time  but  now,  is  for  nothing. 

Circumspection  includes  two  things — taking  no- 
tice, and  taking  heed.  He  that  will  be  circumspect, 
must  eye  and  observe  what  is  before  him ;  must  have 
his  eye  upon  his  end,  his  rule,  and  his  goings ;  must 
eye  duty  and  sin,  opportunities  and  temptations,  his 
times  and  seasons  :  he  must  take  heed,  as  well  as  take 
notice  ;  must  keep  a  strict  eye  on  himself,  and  hold  a 
strict  hand  on  himself,  that  he  leap  not  over  a  duty, 
nor  turn  aside  to  iniquity;  must  set  a  guard  upon 
himself,  upon  his  tongue,  upon  his  eyes,  upon  his  ap- 
petite, upon  his  company,  upon  his  habits,  upon  his 
thoughts,  upon  his  passions,  upon  all  the  motions  of 
his  soul  and  the  actions  of  his  body. 

This  will  require  something.  "  What,  not  a  word 
but  must  be  weighed  ?  Not  a  look  but  must  be  at- 
tended to?  Not  a  thought  but  must  be  examined? 
Not  a  sin  to  be  allowed  ?     Not  a  duty  to  be  abated  ? 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART  245 

• 

Not  a  circumstance  to  be  neglected  ?  Must  all  be  in 
weight  and  in  measure,  by  line  and  by  rule,  and  this 
always  too  ?  If  something'  might  serve,  if  sometime* 
might  suffice,  it  might  be  borne ;  but  to  keep  the 
engagement  in  every  point,  and  that  every  day,  this 
is  a  hard  saying  indeed."  But  thus  it  must  be :  to 
live  as  a  Christian,  and  to  walk  exactly,  accurately, 
precisely,  is  the  same  thing.  Though  duty  and  sin  be 
as  far  distant  as  heaven  and  hell,  yet  there  is  but  a 
hair  between  them.  The  least  latitude  is  a  trans- 
gression; either  all  this — that  is,  as  to  the  purpose  of 
the  heart — either  all  this  or  nothing.  This  also  must 
be  considered.  You  will  be  obedient,  but  will  you  be 
circumspect  ? 

(5.)  Spiritually.  This  must  be  the  obedience  of 
faith.  Romans  16:26.  It  is  the  very  life  of  Jesus 
made  manifest  in  our  mortal  flesh:  "I  live,  yet  not 
I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me ;  and  the  life  which  I  now 
live  in  the  flesh,  I  live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of 
God."  Christians'  obedience  is  their  walking  in 
Christ,  Col.  2:6;  all  the  acts  of  it  are  exercised  and 
performed  in  the  strength  of  Christ.  I  will  go  in  the 
strength  of  the  Lord :  without  him  they  can  do  noth- 
ing, but  can  do  all  things  through  Christ,  which 
strengtheneth  them.  "I  live,  yet  not  I,  but  Christ 
liveth  in  me."  I  work,  I  wrestle,  I  run,  yet  not  I, 
but  Christ  in  me ;  as  the  apostle  speaks  of  his  sins, 
"It  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth  in 
me."  It  is  sin  that,  sins ;  so  may  it  be  said  of  duty. 
It  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  Christ  that  dwelleth  in 
me.     Though  both  be  the  act  of  the  person,  both  the 


246  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

sin  and  the  duty,  yet  the  principle  of  the  one  is  lust, 
the  power  of  the  other  is  of  Christ.  Christians  cannot 
go  through  a  duty,  and  they  dare  not  enter  upon  one, 
without  looking  up  to  Christ  and  leaning  upon  him 
for  assistance.  They  cannot  go  through,  and  there- 
fore they  will  not  set  forth,  but  in  the  strength  of  the 
Lord.  All  their  acts  of  obedience  are  exhibited,  and 
offered  up  in  the  name  of  Christ.  Their  services  are 
their  sacrifices  to  God,  and  Christ  is  their  altar. 
What  is  a  sacrifice  without  an  altar?  Christ  is  our 
altar,  which  sanctifies  our  gift ;  God  looks  on  all, 
and  so  do  they,  as  nothing  worth  without  Christ ; 
God  will  not  accept,  and  therefore  they  will  not  offer 
other  than  the  Lamb  for  their  sacrifice.  All  their 
acts  of  obedience  are  acknowledged  to  the  praise  of 
Christ.  It  is  no  more  I  that  do  it,  but  the  grace  of 
God  which  is  with  me.  Grace  does  the  work,  and 
grace  shall  carry  away  the  praise.  Christ  is  all  in 
the  race,  and  therefore  on  his  head  the  crown  is 
set:  "Not  unto  us,  not  unto  us,  but  to  thy  name 
be  the  praise."  Not  of  us,  and  therefore  not  unto 
us ;  of  him,  and  therefore  unto  him.  If  I  am  any 
thing  that  others  are  not,  if  I  have  done  any  thing 
more  than  others,  no  thanks  to  me,  and  therefore  no 
praise.  To  Him  be  all,  who  is  all  in  all  to  me. 
Thus  the  obedience  of  Christians  is  their  walking  in 
Christ. 

The  obedience  of  Christians  is  their  walking  in 
the  Spirit.  They  have  received  the  Spirit,  and  they 
walk  in  the  Spirit.  Gal.  5  :  16.  They  have  not  re- 
ceived the  spirit  of  this  world,  their  spirit  is  not  flesh, 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  247 

but  the  Spirit  which  is  of  God.  1  Cor.  2  :  12.  They 
are  dead  to  things  carnal,  the  spirit  of  the  world  is 
departed,  they  have  given  up  this :  it  is  the  Spirit  of 
the  living  God  who  lives  in  them,  and  in  this  they 
live  and  walk.  They  walk  in  the  light  of  the  Spirit, 
in  the  power  of  the  Spirit ;  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord 
steers  their  course  and  fills  their  sails — is  their  pilot 
and  their  star,  and  their  wind  that  carries  them  on. 
When  they  pray,  they  pray  in  the  Spirit ;  when  they 
hear,  they  hear  in  the  Spirit :  through  the  Spirit  they 
mortify  the  flesh,  are  crucified  to  the  world ;  they 
obey,  they  suffer,  they  fight,  they  overcome,  through 
the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  that  is  in  them.  They 
live  in  fellowship  with  the  Spirit,  and  by  him  with 
the  Father  and  the  Son.  They  dwell  in  the  invisible 
world,  their  acquaintance  and  converse  is  in  heaven ; 
thither  they  have  access,  and  there  they  have  accept- 
ance— thither  they  have  their  recourse,  and  thence 
they  have  their  returns.  Duties  and  comforts  are  the 
tokens  that  are  passing  between  heaven  and  earth. 
Their  life  is  love  and  joy  and  praise ;  these  are  the 
most  noble  acts  of  their  obedience,  and  these  give 
wings  to  their  hearts,  carry  them  on  more  swiftly  and 
more  sweetly  through  all  their  course. 

0  how  heavily  do  we  drive  on,  how  slowly  do  our 
wheels  move,  when  the  Spirit  of  the  living  God  is 
not  in  the  wheels !  0  how  dead  are  our  duties,  how 
lame  are  our  walkings ;  what  low  and  poor-spirited 
creatures  are  we !  How  weak  are  our  hearts,  how 
unripe  our  fruits  ;  we  but  half  do  what  we  do,  there 
is  no  heart  in  our  life,  we  are  as  bodies  without  souls, 


248  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

while  our  soul  is  without  the  Spirit.  0  how  sad  it 
is  with  many  of  us  upon  this  account !  By  our 
estrangement  from  God  we  have  even  lost  ourselves; 
we  are  not  what  we  are,  because  no  more  where  he 
is.  By  our  distance  from  heaven  we  are  even  choked 
with  the  damps  of  the  earth.  We  are  fit  for  little, 
we  prosper  in  nothing ;  Grod  takes  no  pleasure  and 
we  take  no  comfort  in  any  thing  we  do ;  our  spirits 
are  so  chilled  and  benumbed  within  us  that  we  make 
neither  speed  in  our  work,  nor  progress  in  our  way. 
And  what  are  we  in  society  ?  To  how  little  profit  do 
we  meet !  How  little  heat  do  we  get ;  yea,  how 
much  do  we  lose  at  our  brethren's  fires.  We  serve 
often  but  to  damp  and  cool  each  other's  spirits :  as  if 
it  might  be  no  longer  said,  Woe  to  him  that  is  alone ; 
but,  Woe  be  to  him  that  is  in  company :  alone  he  is 
more  warm. 

Christians,  I  solemnly  profess  I  am  ashamed  of 
myself,  and  my  heart  is  pained  within  me,  to  observe 
how  insipid,  how  spiritless,  how  carnal  our  converse  is. 
How  often  may  we  meet,  how  long  may  we  sit,  Chris- 
tian with  Christian,  ere  any  thing  that  savors  of  the 
spirit  of  a  Christian  comes  from  us !  0  how  hard  must 
we  labor  for  a  few  gracious  words ;  how  few  such  do 
come ;  how  heartless  when  they  come !  How  very 
few  of  us  are  there,  whose  ordinary  converse  speaks 
us  to  be  men  of  another  world,  whose  business  and 
whose  deliglit  lies  above,  and  who  are  in  good  earnest 
pressing  on  towards  heaven!  How  seldom  and  how 
short-breathed  are  our  spiritual  discourses ;  how  little 
must  suffice ;  how  quickly  are  we  diverted  to  things 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  249 

carnal  and  sensual!  Sure  it  is  our  little  communion 
with  God,  that  has  thus  debased  the  communion  of 
saints. 

0  let  us  live  more  in  the  fellowship  of  the  Spirit, 
and  \vc  shall  have  fellowship  one  with  another  to  bet- 
ter purpose.  Let  us  warm  ourselves  at  the  Sun,  let 
us  dwell  more  in  his  beams,  and  we  shall  get  and  give 
more  light  and  heat.  Thus  must  it  be  considered  ere 
we  resolve  what  there  is  in  this  obedience. 

Further,  it  must  be  considered  what  obedience 
is  likely  to  be  attended  with  from  without :  what 
suffering  it  may  cost  us,  what  scorn  and  contempt 
and  reproaches  and  persecutions  of  all  sorts.  It  is 
likely  to  set  earth  and  hell  upon  our  backs.  If  carnal 
counsels  and  fleshly  policies,  if  all  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness, if  might  and  malice  can  do  it,  this  way  will  be 
made  too  hot  and  too  hard  for  thee  ;  tribulation,  great 
tribulation  thou  must  expect,  and  canst  not  escape ; 
and  the  more  strict  and  circumspect,  the  hotter  must 
thou  expect  thine  assaults  will  be. 

Professors  of  religion  who  are  not  so  strict  to  their 
rule  but  that  they  can  dispense  with  duty,  nor  so  for- 
ward in  point  of  zeal  and  activity  but  that  they  can 
remit  and  abate  as  occasion  serves,  escape  this  per- 
secuting world  the  better ;  but  he  that  will  be  faith- 
ful, whoever  escape,  is  sure  to  be  made  a  prey.  This 
also  must  be  well  considered.  I  will  follow  Christ; 
but  can  I  drink  of  the  cup  that  he  drank  of?  Can  I 
be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  he  was  baptized 
with  ? 

There  are  persons  who  sometimes  take  up  the  pro- 
11* 


250  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

fession  of  religion,  and  resolve  all  of  a  sudden  that 
they  will  follow  Christ,  not  understanding  what  there 
is  in  it,  or  what  Christianity  may  do  for  them,  who, 
by  the  time  they  have  looked  a  little  further,  and  find 
it  another  manner  of  difficulty  than  at  first  they 
imagined ;  and  withal,  when  they  find  the  armies  of 
the  aliens  begin  to  fall  on  them,  the  dogs  to  tear,  the 
wolves  to  worry,  the  eagles  and  the  vultures  and  all 
the  birds  of  prey  to  pitch  upon  them,  and  begin  in 
earnest  to  feel  the  smart  of  religion  in  those  persecu- 
tions that  are  raised  against  them  for  it,  presently 
make  their  retreat  and  go  back.  "Where  am  I? 
"What  have  I  chosen  ?  Is  this  to  be  a  Christian  ?  Does 
Christ  look  for  all  this  from  his  followers,  and  will  he 
leave  them  to  such  violence  and  rapine,  as  the  reward 
of  their  faithfulness  to  his  name  ?  I  never  thought  it 
had  been  such  hot  service ;  and  if  I  cannot  be  a  saint 
at  a  cheaper  rate  than  this,  follow  Christ  who  will  for 
all  me :  let  those  who  have  nothing  to  lose,  or  can  bear 
so  much  labor  and  pain  and  violence,  take  it  up  if 
they  please;  for  my  part,  I  must  look  to  myself,  I 
must  not  be  undone." 

"  Master,  I  will  follow  thee  whithersoever  thou 
goest,"  said  the  scribe.  Matt.  8  :  19.  "  Man,"  says 
Christ,  "thou  understandest  not  what  thou  say  est. 
Dost  thou  know  whither  I  am  going,  where  my  dwell- 
ing, where  my  lodging  is  ?  The  foxes  have  holes,  and 
the  birds  of  the  air  have  nests,  but  the  Son  of  man 
hath  not  where  to  lay  his  head."  And  behold,  there 
is  an  end  of  the  scribe's  Christianity,  we  hear  not  one 
word  more  about  it. 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  251 

Not  so  he  who  knows  what  it  is  to  be  a  disciple, 
who  has  looked  through  religion,  through  the  length 
and  breadth  of  it,  has  duly  weighed  all  that  can  be 
said  for  or  against  his  taking  it  up,  has  examined  the 
grounds  and  reasons  he  has  for  it,  what  weight  there 
is  in  them,  has  considered  the  objections,  has  cast  up 
the  cost  and  charges  of  it,  and  as  the  issue  and  result 
of  the  most  serious  debate,  stands  settled  in  his  judg- 
ment, that,  all  things  considered,  it  is  indisputably 
the  best  and  wisest  and  safest  course  he  can  take : 
"It  is,  beyond  all  controversy,  incomparably  better 
for  me  to  hearken  to  the  Lord  in  all  that  he  shall  re- 
quire, and  to  run  all  hazards  with  him,  and  that  pres- 
ently, from  this  day  forward  to  the  end  of  my  life." 
He  that  stands  thus  settled  in  his  judgment,  there- 
upon feels  his  soul  fixing  itself  in  this  peremptory 
resolution:  "Well,  through  the  grace  of  God,  I  will 
be  his  servant;  I  give  up  myself  to  the  government  of 
his  will,  to  follow  him  in  righteousness  and  holiness 
all  my  days.  I  am  sensible  it  is  no  light  thing  to  bo 
a  Christian ;  I  see  I  must  be  subject,  I  see  I  must  be 
circumspect,  I  see  I  must  be  active,  I  must  hold  back 
nothing  that  God  will  have.  I  see  this  flesh  will  be 
pained,  and  will  flinch  and  groan  under  so  severe  a 
yoke.  I  see  the  devil  and  this  evil  world  will  be  upon 
me,  laying  on  more  load,  to  make  my  bargain  as  dear 
as  they  can.  But  be  there  in  it  what  there  will,  let 
it  cost  me  ever  so  dear,  I  am  resolved,  I  will  venture 
nil  upon  it;  the  Lord  is  my  God,  and  him  will  I  fol- 
low in  all  things  that  he  shall  speak ;  I  put  myself 
into  the  evcrlastins    arms,  T  trust  upon  everlasting 


252  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

strength,  I  will  go  forth  in  the  name  of  the  Lord :  and 
now  speak,  Lord,  for  I  will  hear." 

This  sincere  resolution,  this  will  hold  out:  when 
our  holy  inclinations  are  so  rooted  and  strong,  that 
they  hear  down  all  fleshly  inclinations ;  when  our 
assent  to  scripture  is  so  firm  that  it  overbalances  all 
objections  against  it;  when  our  reasons  for  religion  are 
so  high  and  weighty  that  they  weigh  down  the  highest 
pretences  against  it;  when  we  have  thoroughly  con- 
sidered what  there  is  in  it,  and  compared  all  that  can 
be  said  for  or  against  our  following  the  Lord,  and  upon 
the  whole  matter  we  judge  it  our  best  course,  and 
accordingly  resolve  for  it — this  is  sincere  resolution, 
this  is  the  obedience  of  the  heart. 

II.  Obedience  of  the  life.  This  is  the  inclina- 
tion and  resolution  springing  up  into  action,  and  is  a 
necessary  proof  of  the  soundness  of  the  resolution. 

Though  sincere  resolution  be  obedience  on  God's 
account,  yet  that  resolution  which,  supposing  there 
be  time  and  opportunity,  does  not  break  forth  into  act, 
is  undoubtedly  unsound  and  deceitful.  There  are  two 
things  infallibly  included  in  spiritual  life — a  will,  and 
a  power.  Grace  is  the  disposing  and  enabling  the 
heart  for  a  holy  life;  and  where  there  is  both  a  will 
and  a  power,  performance  will  certainly  follow.  This 
sincerity  of  actual  obedience  is  that  which  the  prayer 
of  the  psalmist  looks  to:  "Let  my  heart  be  sound  in 
thy  statutes,  that  I  be  not  ashamed."    Psa.  119  :  80. 

There  is  a  soundness  in  the  faith,  and  a  sound- 
ness in  the  statutes  of  the  Lord.  Faith  denotes  in 
Scripture  either  the  doctrine  of  faith,  or  the  grace  of 


AN  OBEDIENT  HEART.  253 

faith.  And  accordingly,  soundness  in  the  faith  signi- 
fies both  the  receiving  and  entertaining  sound  doc- 
trine, and  the  sound  or  sincere  embracing  that  doc- 
trine. Soundness  in  the  statutes  of  the  Lord  denotes 
especially  the  practice,  the  living  or  walking  uprightly 
under  the  power  of  that  doctrine,  under  the  govern- 
ment and  obedience  of  the  statutes  of  the  Lord. 
What  this  obedience  of  life  is,  it  is  easy  to  gather 
out  of  what  has  been  spoken  touching  the  obedience 
of  the  heart;  I  shall  only  add,  that  this  obedience  is 
sound  and  sincere — 

1.  In  general,  when  the  whole  course  of  life  is  the 
issue  of  the  mentioned  sincere  resolution — when  the 
life  is  the  birth  of  the  purpose,  the  fruit  growing  up 
out  of  that  holy  root.  There  may  be  actions  mate- 
rially good,  that  yet  are  not  gracious  actions  because 
they  arise  not  from  a  right  spring.  When  the  soul 
has  devoted  itself  to  God  in  Christ,  and  believingly, 
understandingly,  and  deliberately  determined  in  his 
strength  to  keep  his  word,  and  this  determination  goes 
into  the  performances  of  the  life,  and  is  the  root  and 
soul  of  that  holy  course  we  walk  in,  there  is  sincerity. 

Some  persons  may  be  found  who  have  taken  up 
the  profession  and  go  far  in  the  practice  of  godliness, 
abstaining  from  gross  sins,  yea,  and  making  attempts 
upon  the  mortification  of  inward  lusts — applying  them- 
selves to  the  duties  of  religion,  praying,  hearing,  read- 
ing, meditating,  discoursing  of  God  and  the  things  of 
G-od,  exercising  themselves  in  the  works  of  righteous- 
ness and  mercy,  being  meek,  temperate,  patient;  and 
if  all  this  arise  only  from  the  advantages  of  a  good 


254  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

nature,  good  education,  good  society  or  acquaintance, 
a  powerful  ministry,  or  the  workings  of  natural  con- 
science, as  possibly  it  may,  and  does  not  spring  forth 
from  such  a  fixed,  well-founded  resolution,  it  is  short 
of  sincerity.  Whatever  the  blades  be,  they  have  no 
root,  and  will  certainly  wither  away. 

2.  In  particular  actions,  when  they  are  done  in 
simplicity  and  singleness  of  heart  unto  the  Lord — 
when,  whatever  sinful  mixtures  there  may  sometimes 
be  of  carnal  motives,  that  may  have  an  influence  to 
bring  them  about,  yet  the  great  poise  that  moves  the 
wheels,  the  swaying  motive  that  brings  us  on,  is  God, 
and  our  respect  to  his  will  and  honor. 

Now  for  this  also  the  Lord  undertakes,  promising 
not  only  assistance,  but  success — sufficient  grace,  and 
efficacious  grace:  "I  will  cause  them  to  walk  in  my 
statutes,  and  they  shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do 
them."  I  will  not  only  teach  them  my  statutes ;  I 
will  not  only  incline  their  hearts  to  my  testimonies; 
I  will  not  only  strengthen  them  for  my  work ;  but  I 
will  cause  them  to  walk  in  my  statutes.  The  event 
shall  be  sure,  they  shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do 
them;  my  word  shall  fail,  my  promises  be  of  none 
effect,  let  me  be  accounted  unfaithful,  if  I  do  not 
make  them  faithful  to  me. 


AN  ENDURING-  COVENANT.  255 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

AN   ENDURING   COVENANT. 

"  I  will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  them, 
that  I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them 
good  ;  but  I  will  put  my  fear  in  their  hearts,  that  they 
shall  not  depart  from  me."     Jer.  32  :  40. 

The  promise  of  eternal  life  is  made  to  those  who 
endure  to  the  end  :  "  He  that  endureth  unto  the  end 
shall  be  saved."  Overcome,  and  reign.  "Be  thou 
faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of 
life."  Rev.  2  :  10.  "  If  thou  forsake  him,  he  will  cast 
thee  off  for  ever."  1  Chron.  28  :  9.  "  If  any  man 
draw  back,  my  soul  shall  have  no  pleasure  in  him." 
Heb.  10  :  38.  Christians,  beware  of  apostasy,  beware 
of  presumption ;  pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here 
in  fear.  Let  it  not  be  said  of  you,  Ye  did  run  well. 
He  runs  well,  that  does  not  give  up,  that  sits  not 
down  on  this  side  the  goal.  "  So  run  that  ye  may 
obtain."  There  are  also  promises  of  enduring.  The 
covenant  of  G-od  is  an  everlasting  covenant.  "  He 
hath  commanded  Ins  covenant  for  ever."  Psalm 
111:9. 

There  are  two  things  in  the  forementioned  scrip- 
ture, Jer.  32  :  40,  secured  to  believers. 

God  icill  not  depart  from  them.  "  I  will  not 
turn  away  from  them."     (rod  is  with  me,  but  I  fear 


256  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

I  shall  provoke  him  away :  I  shall  weary  him  out  by 
my  sins,  and  drive  him  from  me.  No,  saith  the  Lord, 
I  will  not  turn  away  from  them,  to  do  them  good  ;  I 
will  never  leave  thee,  nor  forsake  thee. 

They  shall  not  depart  from  him.  It  is  true,  the 
Lord  will  be  with  me ;  hut  it  is  only  while  I  am 
with  him :  if  I  depart,  he  will  depart ;  if  I  forsake 
him,  he  will  cast  me  off  for  ever.  Here  is  my  great 
fear,  that  I  shall  turn  away  from  him  ;  there  is  in  me 
an  evil  heart  of  unbelief,  that  is  ever  departing  from 
the  living  God.  0  this  false  and  fickle  heart,  I  dare 
not  trust  it  for  an  hour.  My  corruptions  are  strong, 
my  temptations  are  many,  every  day  brings  its  temp- 
tations ;  and  I  am  in  great  fear,  that  by  one  means 
or  other,  one  day  or  other,  I  shall  fall  before  them, 
and  depart  from  the  living  God.  No,  says  God,  fear 
not,  thou  shalt  not  depart:  "I  will  put  my  fear  in 
their  hearts,  that  they  shall  not  depart  from  me." 
They  shall  be  kept  by  my  almighty  power,  "through 
faith  unto  salvation."  My  grace  shall  be  with  them, 
and  my  grace  shall  be  sufficient  for  them,  and  shall 
preserve  them  to  my  heavenly  kingdom. 

As  there  is  that  within  and  without  an  impenitent 
sinner  to  keep  him  from  Christ,  so  there  is  that 
within  and  without  a  true  Christian  to  lead  him  to 
Christ. 

Impenitent  sinners  have  that  within  them  which 
draws  them  away.  Corrupt  nature,  the  power  of 
unmortified  lust,  this  it  is  that  bears  the  sway  in 
their  hearts  ;  and  however,  for  the  time,  the  stream 
may  be  somewhat  turned  out  of  its  course,  or  bayed 


AN  ENDURING  COVENANT.  257 

up — however,  by  the  impetus  of  some  external  mo- 
tives or  arguments,  or  the  impulses  of  an  awakened 
conscience,  or  some  sudden  heat  of  affection,  they  are 
carried  on  after  and  in  some  fair  compliance  with 
the  Lord  Jesus ;  yet,  when  the  barrier  is  removed, 
when  the  external  force  is  spent,  conscience  laid  to 
sleep,  the  heat  of  affection  allayed,  which  is  often 
almost  as  soon  out  as  in,  their  very  natures  will  bring 
them  back  to  their  old  course.  "What  is  it  that  pulls 
a  stone  or  a  lump  of  clay  down  again,  that  is  thrown 
into  the  air  ?  Why,  when  the  power  by  which  they 
were  forced  up  is  spent,  their  nature,  their  inherent 
gravity,  will  bring  them  down  to  their  place.  Sin- 
ners need  no  other  weights  to  pull  them  down  to  this 
earth  than  their  earthly  hearts. 

And  there  is  one  without  them  that  will  draw 
them  back.  Satan  the  god  of  this  world,  whose  they 
are  and  whom  they  serve,  may  indulge  them  with  so 
much  liberty  for  their  religion  as  is  consistent  with 
their  captive  state,  and  as  may  secure  them  the  more 
under  his  dominion — for  hypocrites  are  often  the 
faster  to  Satan  for  being  so  near  to  Christ — and  the 
very  religion  they  have  is  but  the  devil's  snare,  by 
which  he  holds  them  back  from  religion;  yet,  lest  by 
venturing  them  too  far,  they  should  be  lost  to  him 
at  last,  he  that  first  tempted  them  so  near  to  Christ — 
hypocrites  are  often  beholden  to  the  devil  for  the 
religion  they  have — will  quickly  tempt  them  back 
again. 

And  so  on  the  other  side,  there  are  the  like  rea- 
sons why  saints  stay  not  away  from  Christ.     There 


258  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

is  that  within  them  which  will  bring  them  back. 
The  grace  of  God  within  them  will  bring  them  home. 
The  grace  of  Grod  is  now  their  nature.  Sinners  while 
walking  with  Christ,  and  saints  while  wandering  from 
Christ,  are  both  under  a  force — they  are  carried 
against  the  stream;  when  the  winds  go  down  that 
carried  them  on,  they  will  return  to  their  course. 
The  grace  of  God  is  the  seed  of  God:  "He  that  is 
born  of  God  sinneth  not,"  that  is,  not  unto  death  ; 
"the  seed  of  God  remaineth  in  him."  The  seed  of 
God  is  immortal  seed;  it  may  languish  and  be  ready 
to  die,  but  it  shall  not  die,  it  shall  recover. 

There  is  also  One  above  them  who  will  bring  them 
back,  though  he  suffer  them  for  a  time  to  wander 
from  the  way.  "  Of  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me, 
I  have  lost  none."  He  hath  lost  none,  and  he  will 
lose  none.  He  sends  a  word  of  commandment  after 
them :  "  Return,  0  backsliding  children ;  for  I  am 
married  unto  you."  Jer.  3  :  14.  Whither  are  you  run- 
ning ?  Whom  are  you  following  after  ?  Come  back 
from  your  lovers,  return  to  your  husband.  I  am  mar- 
ried to  you,  and  we  may  not  part. 

After  the  word  of  command,  he  sends  a  word  of 
promise :  "  I  will  heal  your  backslidings."  Jer.  3  :  22. 
Return  from  your  backslidings,  and  I  will  heal  them. 
I  will  forgive  your  backslidings,  and.  I  will  cure  you 
of  your  backsliding  heart.  All  the  breaches  they 
have  made  shall  be  made  up  ;  I  will  pass  by  all  that 
you  have  done,  and  be  reconciled  to  you.  If  you  will 
turn,  return  and  I  will  receive  you.  And  this  word 
of  promise  is  a  word  of  power.     I  will  bring  you  to 


AN  ENDURING  COVENANT.  259 

Zion:  "Then  shall  she  say,  I  will  go  and  return  to 
my  first  husband."  Hosca  2:7.  "  Behold,  we  come 
unto  thee,  for  thou  art  the  Lord  our  God."  Jer.  3 :22. 
He  that  would  not  leave  his  Israel  after  the  flesh  with 
their  idols,  will  much  less  leave  his  Israel  after  the 
Spirit:  "Being  confident  of  this  very  thing,  that  he 
which  hath  begun  a  good  work,  will  perform  it  until 
the  day  of  Jesus  Christ."    Phil.  1  :  6. 

A  good  work  may  be  said  to  be  begun  in  two 
senses.  One  is  when  there  is  some  good  thing  doing- 
towards  it :  when  the  Lord  has  been  ploughing  up 
the  fallow-ground,  making  his  batteries  against  the 
strong-hold,  shaking  secure  hearts,  breaking  false 
hopes,  awakening  consciences,  convincing  sinners, 
spreading  sin  and  death  and  hell  before  them,  enter- 
ing upon  a  treaty  with  them,  and  persuading  them 
over  to  Christ,  to  make  an  escape — there  may  be 
hopes  in  this  ;  but  sinners,  awakened  shiners,  beware 
you  make  not  a  stand  at  the  threshold.  Beware  that 
your  ploughed  ground  be  not  left  to  lie  fallow.  Be- 
ware that  the  womb  prove  not  the  grave  of  all  your 
hopes.  Mistake  not  conviction  for  conversion  ;  make 
on,  let  not  your  God  nor  your  souls  lose  the  things 
which  have  been  wrought.  The  other  sense  is  when 
there  is  some  good  thing  done :  when  the  rubbish  is 
removed,  and  the  first  stone  is  laid ;  when  the  plough 
has  been  going,  and  the  good  seed .  is  sown ;  when 
the  new  creature  has  passed  the  birth ;  when  Christ 
is  formed,  and  the  light  of  life  is  newly  sprung  up  in 
the  soul.  If  there  be  but  a  grain  of  mustard-seed, 
the  least  and  lowest  degree  of  saving  grace  broken 


260  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

forth  in  the  heart,  the  question  is  not  whether  it  be 
much  or  little  ;  if  it  be  grace,  there  is  the  immortal 
seed,  there  is  the  good  work  begun,  which  shall  be 
carried  on  till  the  day  of  Jesus  Christ.  Grace  is  a 
security  for  glory.  Yet  beware,  Christians,  let  not 
this  security  make  you  secure ;  though  there  be  a 
harvest  in  the  seed,  yet  the  seed  must  be  cherished, 
watched,  and  well  looked  to,  that  it  may  grow  up  to 
the  harvest.  He  that  lets  it  die  for  want  of  looking 
to,  proves  that  it  was  dead  while  alive.  Let  not  your 
falling  short  of  glory  prove  that  your  grace  was  not 
grace. 

Christians,  lay  hold  on  the  promise  and  lift  up 
your  heads  :  you  are  under  fears  ;  however  it  be  with 
you  for  the  present,  you  are  in  doubt  how  it  may  be ; 
your  way  is  long  and  dangerous,  your  hearts  are  de- 
ceitful and  unstable ;  you  are  going  on  at  present,  but 
doubt  how  you  shall  hold  out:  "I  may  meet  with 
lions  in  the  way,  which  may  fright  me  back ;  I  may 
lose  my  way,  and  never  recover  it ;  I  may  be  weary, 
and  faint  in  the  way,  and  lie  down  and  give  up.  My 
Lord  and  my  soul  have  been  often  upon  the  parting 
point ;  I  have  been  almost  gone,  and  I  tremble  to 
think  what  may  yet  become  of  me."  Yet  remember 
who  it  is  that  has  said,  "I  will  not  turn  from  you,  to 
do  you  good ;  I  will  put  my  fear  in  your  hearts,  and 
you  shall  not  depart  from  me."  Rise,  soul,  take  care 
for  to-day,  and  take  no  thought  for  to-morrow.  Mind 
the  present  duty,  go  on  thy  way,  though  weeping 
and  trembling  and  hard  bestead :  go  on  thy  way, 
and  then  commit  thy  way  and  thyself  to  Him,  by 


AN  ENDURING  COVENANT.  261 

whose  mighty  power  thou  shalt  be  kept  through  faith 
unto  salvation.  Faithful  is  He  that  hath  called  you, 
and  will  do  it. 


And  now  you  have  all.  Let  us  hear  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  whole  matter.  God  has  made  a  covenant 
with  his  people,  has  given  himself  for  their  portion, 
his  Son  for  their  price,  his  Spirit  for  their  guide  in 
the  way,  his  earth  for  their  accommodation  by  the 
way,  his  angels  for  their  guard,  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness and  death  for  their  spoils,  everlasting  glory  for 
their  crown.  And  because  their  way  is  difficult  and 
their  work  is  contrary  to  them,  he  has  given  them  all 
that  grace  which  is  necessary  to  bring  them  to  glory 
In  general,  a  new  heart,  in  all  things  suited  to  their 
way,  and  thoroughly  furnished  for  every  good  work. 
In  particular,  knowledge  to  guide,  oneness  to  fix  and 
intend,  tenderness  to  submit  to  and  yield,  love  to 
constrain  and  bring  on,  fear  to  fence  and  hold  in, 
obedience  to  perform  and  bring  forth,  and  perse- 
verance to  go  through  and  hold  out  to  the  end ;  and 
there  grace  and  glory  meet.  This  is  the  covenant  of 
grace,  this  is  the  word  which  by  the  gospel  is  preached 
unto  you. 

"Will  it  be  said,  "  But  if  God  has  undertaken  all  this 
for  us,  what  is  there  then  left  us  to  do  ?  Here  is  a 
doctrine  according  to  sinners'  hearts :  if  this  be  gos- 
pel, then,  soul,  take  thine  ease,  take  thy  liberty,  cast 
away  care,  make  much  of  thy  body;  God  will  tscke 
care  of  the  rest  ?" 


262  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

But  is  there  nothing  required  of  us?  Let  the 
Scriptures  speak  :  "  Yet  for  all  this  will  I  be  inquired 
of,"  or  sought  unto,  "  by  the  house  of  Israel,"  Ezek. 
36  :  37;  otherwise  let  them  look  for  no  such  things. 
He  that  will  not  ask  in  faith,  "let  not  that  man  think 
he  shall  receive  any  thing  of  the  Lord."  James  1 :  7. 
And  can  he  think  to  receive  any  thing  who  neither 
believes  nor  prays ;  who  neither  prays  in  faith,  nor 
prays  at  all  ?  "It  is  God  which  worketh  in  you  both 
to  will  and  to  do."  Phil.  2 :  12,  13.  What  then  ? 
Therefore  sit  you  still  and  do  nothing  ?  No  such 
thing:  therefore  "work  out  your  salvation  with  fear 
and  trembling,"  saith  the  apostle.  The  promise  of 
God  was  never  intended  to  make  the  command  of 
God  of  none  effect.  God,  in  promising  grace,  prom- 
ises a  power  for  duty ;  and  as  he  does  not  give,  so  we 
must  not  receive  that  power  or  grace  of  God,  in  vain. 
While  he  gives  what  he  requires,  he  still  requires 
what  he  gives.  That  promise  of  God,  "Ye  shall  be 
my  people,"  though  he  undertake  to  make  it  good, 
yet  is  also  the  matter  of  our  stipulation.  And  in  this 
promise,  wherein  the  Lord  assures  us  what  we  shall 
be,  is  included  a  precept,  wherein  we  may  understand 
what  we  ought  to  be. 

In  undertaking  to  give  us  a  new  heart,  a  tender 
and  obedient,  a  persevering  heart,  the  Lord  promises 
both  to  make  us  what  we  should  be  and  to  help  us  in 
what  we  are  bound  to  do,  and  gives  us  at  once  a  clear 
hint  both  of  our  mercy  and  duty.  This  is  the  sense 
and  sum  of  that  promise,  The  Lord  will  work  all  that 
in  us,  and  will  help  and  cause  us  to  perform  all  that 


AN  ENDURING  COVENANT.  2C3 

which  is  required  unto  salvation ;  and  so  the  promise 
on  God's  part  does  not  make  void,  but  establish  the 
obligation  on  ours.  Do  we  then  make  void  the  law 
through  faith?     Nay,  wo  establish  the  law. 

Though  it  be  certain  as  to  the  event,  that  all 
which  is  necessary  to  salvation  shall  be  accomplished 
in  us,  since  God  hath  undertaken  that,  yet  it  is  alto- 
gether as  certain,  that  God  has  made  our  loving  him, 
fearing  him,  obeying  his  whole  will,  and  our  sincerity 
and  perseverance  herein,  so  necessary  that  we  cannot 
otherwise  be  saved. 

Christians,  mistake  not,  nor  abuse  the  grace  of 
the  gospel.  The  Lord  never  meant  your  mercy  should 
make  void  your  obligation  to  duty.  Redemption  from 
sin  was  never  intended  as  a  toleration  of  sin.  He 
gives  not  his  Spirit  in  favor  of  the  flesh.  What  he 
undertakes  to  work  for  you  was  never  with  a  mind 
to  maintain  you  in  idleness.  The  grace  of  God  that 
bringeth  salvation  teacheth  us,  "that,  denying  un- 
godliness and  worldly  lusts,  we  should  live  soberly, 
righteously,  and  godly  in  this  present  world."  Titus 
2  :  11,  12. 

Though  you  are  saved  by  grace,  yet  you  are  still, 
in  a  sense,  debtors  to  the  whole  law.  Perfect  obedi- 
ence to  the  whole  law,  even  to  the  utmost  iota,  is  still 
due  from  you ;  and  if  it  be  not  in  your  hearts  to  pay 
all  that  you  owe — that  is,  if  there  be  any  duty  com- 
manded in  the  whole  book  of  God,  that  you  dispense 
with,  that  you  will  not  set  your  hearts  to  observe  and 
obey ;  if  there  be  any  one  sin  that  you  must  be  ex- 
cused in,  and  will  not  part  with ;  if  there  be  any,  the 


264  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

highest  pitch  of  holy  care,  activity,  industry,  zeal  for 
God  and  holiness,  that  you  will  not  be  persuaded  to 
press  hard  after — this  is  an  evidence  of  such  an  un- 
sound heart  as  has  no  part  in  the  gospel  or  its  salva- 
tion. Perfection  is  still  due,  though  sincerity  will  be 
accepted.  Sincerity  shall  be  accepted;  but  what  is 
sincerity  less  than  a  hearty  willingness  to  be  perfect, 
attested  by  a  striving  and  pressing  on  to  that  mark 
which  is  set  before  us? 

0  admire  and  bless  the  Lord  for  his  grace,  but 
do  not  turn  the  grace  of  God  into  licentiousness. 
Shall  we  continue  in  sin,  because  grace  hath  abound- 
ed ?  "Will  ye  thus  requite  the  Lord  ?  "Will  ye  thus 
deceive  yourselves,  0  foolish  people  and  unwise  ? 
Will  you  slight  him,  because  he  has  loved  you  ;  kick 
at  him,  because  he  has  cared  for  you ;  shake  off  his 
yoke,  because  he  has  secured  you  the  crown  ?  Will 
you  serve  his  enemies,  because  he  has  saved  you  from 
them  ?  Will  you  nourish  your  diseases,  because  he 
has  said  he  will  cure  you  ?  Will  you  live,  and  not  eat ; 
reap,  and  not  plough?  Will  you  not  eat,  because  he 
he  has  given  you  meat?  Will  you  not  run,  because 
he  has  given  you  legs ;  nor  work,  because  he  has  given 
you  hands ;  nor  watch,  because  he  has  given  you  eyes? 
Or  will  you  tempt  the  Lord,  and  call  it  your  trust  in 
him  ?     Awake  from  such  madness. 

Christians,  say  not,  If  God  will,  I  shall;  whether 
I  take  care  or  not,  believe  or  not,  repent  or  not,  be 
obedient  or  rebellious,  whether  I  wake  or  sleep,  work 
or  be  idle,  my  unbelief,  my  disobedience,  my  negli- 
gence shall  not  make  the  faith  of  God  of  none  effect. 


AN  ENDURING  COVENANT.  265 

But  rather,  since  God  has  said,  You  shall,  let  thy 
heart  answer,  I  will  walk  in  his  statutes;  arise,  0 
my  soul,  up  and  be  doing;  wTork  out  thy  salvation, 
"because  it  is  God  that  worketh  in  thee  to  will  and  to 
do.  Shake  off  thy  sloth,  set  about  thy  work,  run  thy 
race,  since  God  hath  said,  Thou  shalt  not  run  nor 
labor  in  vain.  And  look  to  it,  for  however  thy  idle- 
ness or  greatest  unfaithfulness  will  not  make  void  the 
covenant  of  God,  yet  will  it  make  manifest  that  thou 
hast  no  part  nor  lot  in  it. 

But  to  all  these  glorious  things  that  have  been 
spoken,  possibly  some  will  reply,  "0,  if  all  this  be 
so,  then  happy  saints  indeed !  '  Happy  are  the  people 
that  are  in  such  a  case;  yea,  blessed  are  the  people 
whose  God  is  the  Lord.'  But  will  the  Lord  indeed 
do  all  these  things  for  mortals?  Will  he  take  notice 
of  worms  ?  Shall  such  dry  bones  live  ?  Will  he  set 
such  vile  dust  as  the  apple  of  his  eye?  Is  not  this  too 
good  to  be  true,  too  great  to  be  believed  ?  0  that  I 
were  sure  the  one  half  were  as  it  hath  been  told  me  !" 
Too  great  to  be  believed  !  As  if  it  must  be  questioned 
whether  the  sun  be  light  because  it  dazzles  our  eyes. 
But  what  certainty  would  you  have  ?  Is  all  this  too 
great  for  the  great  and  Almighty  God  to  do,  who  hath 
said,  "As  the  heavens  are  higher  than  the  earth,  so 
are  my  ways  higher  than  your  ways,  and  my  thoughts 
than  your  thoughts."  Isa.  55  :  9.  Can  he  not  do  it, 
jvho  can  do  all  things  ?  Will  he  not  do  it,  when  he 
hath  said  he  will?  Will  the  Lord  mock?  Can  God 
deceive?  Shall  his  word,  yea,  and  his  oath  too,  those 
two  immutable  things  in  which  it  is  impossible  for 

Henrpti  Opened.  1  2 


26G  HEAVEN  OPENED 

God  to  lie,  can  these  fail  ?  If  you  should  hear  the 
Lord  himself  speaking  to  you  from  heaven  with  audi- 
ble voice,  My  covenant  I  make  with  thee,  and  it  is 
my  intent  and  purpose  to  perform  every  word  that  is 
written  in  it,  according  to  the  plain  import  and  mean- 
ing thereof;  there  shall  not  a  tittle  fail,  neither  will 
I  alter  the  thing  that  is  gone  forth  of  my  lips.  Heaven 
and  earth  shall  fail,  but  my  word  shall  not  fail;  trust 
to  it,  trust  everlasting  truth,  trust  to  everlasting 
strength.  Fear  not,  for  there  shall  not  fail  one  word 
of  all  that  I  have  spoken  by  all  my  servants  the 
prophets. 

If  you  should  hear  the  Lord  speaking  thus  to  you 
from  heaven,  what  would  you  say?  would  not  this 
satisfy  you?  Why,  search  the  Scriptures,  that  "more 
sure  word  of  prophecy."  2  Pet.  1  :  19.  Read  them 
diligently,  understand  what  thou  readest,  and  then 
say  if  thou  dost  not  there  find  the  Lord  speaking  fully 
to  thee  the  words  of  the  two  following  chapters. 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  267 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

THE  RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT,  OR  A  SHORT 
VIEW  OF  THE  EXCEEDING  GREAT  AND  FREC- 
IOUS  PROMISES.* 

THE   VOICE   OF  THE  HERALD. 

0  all  ye  inhabitants  of  the  world,  and  dwellers 
on  the  earth,  come,  see  and  hear;  gather  yourselves 
together  unto  the  proclamation  of  the  great  King. 
Hear,  you  that  are  far  off,  and  you  that  are  near. 
He  that  hath  an  ear  to  hear,  let  him  hear.  I  am  the 
voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Prepare  ye 
the  way  of  the  Lord.  Let  every  valley  be  exalted, 
and  every  mountain  made  low,  for  the  glory  of  the 
Lord  is  to  be  revealed.  Go  through,  go  through  the 
gates,  prepare  the  way.  Cast  up,  cast  up  the  high- 
way; gather  out  the  stones,  lift  up  the  standard  for 
the  people ;  for  the  Lord  proclaimeth  salvation  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth.  Tidings,  tidings,  0  ye  captives ! 
Hear,  all  ye  that  look  for  salvation  in  Israel;  behold, 
I  bring  you  glad  tidings  of  great  joy,  which  shall  be 
unto  all  people.  Blessed  news !  prepare  your  ears 
and  hearts.  The  Lord  has  commanded  me,  saying, 
Go  unto  the  people  and  sanctify  them;  let  them  wash 
and  be   ready,  for  the  Lord  is   coming  down  upon 

*  By  Rev.  Joseph  Alleine,  author  of  "An  Alarm  to  Unconverted 
Sinners."         ♦ 


2GS  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

mount  Zion,  in  the  sight  of  all  the  nations.  Not  in 
earthquakes  and  fire,  not  in  clouds  and  darkness,  not 
in  thunderings  and  turnings,  rending  the  mountains 
and  breaking  the  rocks  in  pieces.  He  speaks  not  to 
you  out  of  the  blackness  and  darkness  and  tempest  ; 
you  shall  say  no  more,  Let  not  God  speak  to  us,  lest 
we  die;  he  cometh  peaceably,  the  law  of  kindness  is 
in  his  mouth,  he  preacheth  Peace,  peace,  to  him  that 
is  far  off,  and  to  him  that  is  near. 

Behold  how  he  cometh,  leaping  upon  the  moun- 
tains ;  he  hath  passed  mount  Ebal — no  more  wrath  or 
cursing ;  he  is  come  to  mount  (xerizim,  where  he 
standeth  to  bless  the  people  :  as  did  Mordecai  to 
his  nation,  he  writeth  the  words  of  truth  and  peace, 
seeking  the  welfare  of  his  people  and  speaking  peace 
to  all  his  seed. 

Behold  how  he  cometh,  clothed  with  flames  of 
love,  with  bowels  of  compassion,  plenteous  redemp- 
tion, and  multiplied  pardons.  0  how  full  is  his  love ! 
0  the  tenderness  of  his  compassions !  0  how  full  is 
his  heart,  even  aching  till  it  is  eased  by  supplying  his 
hungry  children ! 

Hearken  therefore,  0  ye  children,  hearken  to  me. 
To  you  it  is  commanded,  0  people,  nations,  and  lan- 
guages, that  at  what  time  you  hear  the  joyful  sound, 
the  trump  of  jubilee,  the  tidings  of  peace  in  the  voice 
of  the  everlasting  gospel,  you  fall  down  before  the 
throne,  and  worship  Him  that  liveth  for  ever  and  ever. 

Arise,  and  come  away ;  prepare,  prepare  you ; 
hear  not  with  an  uncircumcised  ear ;  you  are  not 
upon  a  common  thing.     Behold,  the  throne  is  set,  the 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  269 

throne  of  grace,  where  majesty  and  merry  dwell  to- 
gether ;  from  thence  will  the  Lord  meet  you,  from 
thence  will  he  commune  with  you,  from  the  mercy- 
seat,  from  between  the  cherubim,  upon  the  ark  of  the 
testimony.  Lo,  the  Lord  cometh  out  of  his  pavilion, 
the  mighty  C4od  from  Zion.  Selah.  His  glory  cover- 
cth  the  heavens,  the  earth  is  full  of  his  praise.  A 
fire  of  love  goeth  before  him,  mercy  and  truth  are 
round  about  him,  righteousness  and  peace  are  the 
habitation  of  his  throne ;  he  rideth  on  his  horses  and 
chariots  of  salvation,  the  covenant  of  life  and  peace  is 
in  his  mouth. 

Rejoice,  ye  heavens,  make  a  joyful  noise  to  the 
Lord,  all  the  earth.  Let  the  sea  roar,  the  floods  clap 
their  hands,  and  the  multitudes  of  the  isles  rejoice. 
Stand  forth,  the  host  of  heaven,  prepare  your  harps, 
cast  down  your  crowns,  be  ready  with  your  trumps, 
bring  forth  your  golden  vials  full  of  odors ;  for  our 
voices  will  jar,  our  strings  will  break,  we  cannot  reach 
the  note  of  our  Maker's  praise. 

Yet  let  them  that  dwell  in  the  dust  arise  and  sing. 
Bear  your  part  in  this  glorious  service,  but  consider 
and  attend.  Call  out  your  souls,  and  all  that  is  with- 
in you.  Lift  up  your  voices,  fix  your  eyes,  enlarge 
your  hearts,  exert  all  their  powers  ;  there  is  work  for 
them  all.  Be  intent  and  serious,  you  cannot  raise  too 
high  a  strain. 

Come  forth,  ye  graces,  beset  the  way,  be  all  in 
readiness.  Stand  forth,  faith  and  hope ;  flame,  0 
love  ;  come,  ye  warm  desires,  and  break  with  longing. 
Let  fear  with  all  veneration  do  its  obeisance.     Joy, 


270  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

prepare  thy  songs,  call  up  all  the  daughters  of  music 
to  salute  the  Lord  as  he  passeth  by.  Let  the  gener- 
ations of  the  saints  appear,  and  spread  the  way  with 
houghs  and  garments  of  salvation,  and-  songs  of  de- 
liverance. Ye  stand  this  day  all  of  you  before  the 
Lord  your  God,  your  captains,  your  elders,  your  offi- 
cers, with  all  the  men  of  Israel,  your  little  ones,  your 
wives,  and  the  stranger  that  is  within  thy  camp,  from 
the  hewer  of  wood  to  the  drawer  of  water — that  thou 
shouldest  enter  into  covenant  with  the  Lord  thy  God, 
and  into  his  oath  which  the  Lord  thy  God  maketh 
with  thee  this  day:  that  he  may  establish  thee  to-day 
for  a  people  unto  himself,  and  that  he  may  be  unto 
thee  a  God,  as  he  hath  said  unto  thee,  and  as  he  hath 
sworn.     Deut.  29  :  10-13. 

I  have  done  my  errand.  The  messenger  of  the 
morning  disappeareth ;  when  the  orient  Sun  cometh 
forth  out  of  his  chambers,  I  vanish.  I  put  my  mouth 
in  the  dust.  The  voice  of  the  Lord !  The  soft  and 
still  voice !  0  my  soul,  wrap  thy  face  in  thy  mantle, 
and  bow  thyself  to  the  ground,  and  put  thee  in  the 
cleft  of  the  rock,  while  Jehovah  proclaimeth  his  name, 
and  maketh  all  his  goodness  to  pass  before  thee. 

THE    VOICE    OF    THE    LORD.' 

Hear,  0  ye  ends  of  the  earth,  the  mighty  God, 
the  Lord  hath  spoken :  Gather  my  saints  unto  me, 
those  that  have  made  a  covenant  with  me  by  sacrifice. 
Behold,  I  establish  my  covenant  between  me  and  you. 
By  my  holiness  have  I  sworn,  that  I  will  be  your 
covenant  friend.     I  lift  up  my  hand  to  heaven,  and 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  271 

swear  that  I  live  for  ever;  and  because  I  live,  you 
shall  live  also.  I  will  be  yours — yours  to  all  intents 
and  purposes :  your  refuge  and  your  rest ;  your  patron 
and  your  portion  ;  your  heritage  and  your  hope  ;  your 
God  and  your  guide.  While  I  have,  you  shall  never 
want ;  and  what  I  am  to  myself,  I  will  be  to  you. 
And  you  shall  be  my  people,  a  chosen  generation,  a 
kingdom  of  priests,  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  treasure 
unto  me  above  all  people.  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to 
witness  this  day,  that  I  take  you  for  mine  for  ever. 
My  name  shall  be  upon  yon,  and  you  shall  be  pillars 
in  the  temple  of  your  God,  and  shall  go  no  more  out. 
My  livery  shall  you  wear,  and  the  stamp  of  my 
own  face  shall  you  carry ;  and  I  will  mako  you  my 
witnesses,  and  the  epistles  of  Christ  unto  the  world, 
and  you  shall  be  chosen  vessels  to  bear  my  name 
before  the  sons  of  men.  And  that  you  may  see  that 
I  am  in  earnest  with  you,  lo,  I  make  with  you  an 
everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure ; 
and  do  here  solemnly  deliver  it  to  you  as  my  act  and 
deed,  sealed  with  sacred  blood,  and  ratified  with  the 
oath  of  God,  a  God  that  cannot  lie,  that  knows  no 
place  for  repentance.  Come,  ye  blessed,  receive  tho 
instrument  of  your  salvation;  take  the  writings,  be- 
hold the  seals  ;  here  are  the  conveyances  of  the  king- 
dom. Fear  not,  the  donation  is  free  and  full.  See, 
it  is  written  in  blood,  founded  on  the  all-sufficient 
merits  of  your  Surety,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased ; 
whose  death  makes  this  testament  unchangeable  for 
ever ;  so  that  your  names  can  never  be  put  out,  nor 
y^ur  inheritance  alienated,  nor  your  legacies  dimin- 


272  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ishecl ;  nothing  may  "be  altered,  nothing  added,  noth- 
ing subtracted,  no,  not  for  ever.  Happy  art  thou,  0 
Israel !  "Who  is  like  unto  thee,  0  people  ?  Only 
believe,  and  know  your  own  blessedness.  Attend,  0 
my  children,  unto  the  blessings  of  your  Father ;  and 
hear  and  know, 

I.  The  glorious  immunities  and  the  royal  pre- 
rogatives that  I  here  confirm  upon  you. 

1.  The  glorious  immunities.  Here  I  seal  you 
your  pardon.  Though  your  sins  be  as  many  as  the 
sands,  and  as  mighty  as  the  mountains,  I  will  drown 
them  in  the  deeps  of  my  bottomless  mercies.  I  will 
be  merciful  to  your  unrighteousness ;  I  will  multiply 
to  pardon  ;  where  your  sins  have  abounded,  my  grace 
shall  superabound ;  though  they  be  as  scarlet,  they 
shall  be  as  white  as  snow ;  though  red  like  crimson, 
they  shall  be  as  wool.  Behold,  I  declare  myself  sat- 
isfied, and  pronounce  you  absolved.  The  price  is  paid, 
your  debts  are  cleared,  your  bonds  are  cancelled. 

Whatever  the  law,  or  conscience,  or  the  accuser 
hath  to  charge  upon  you,  here  I  exonerate  you,  I  dis- 
charge you.  I,  even  I,  am  He  that  blotteth  out  your 
transgressions,  for  my  name's  sake.  Who  shall  lay 
any  thing  to  your  charge,  when  I  acquit  you  ?  Who 
shall  impeach  or  implead  you,  when  I  proclaim  you 
guiltless  ?  Sons,  daughters,  be  of  good  cheer  ;  your 
sins  are  forgiven  you.  I  will  sprinkle  your  consciences, 
and  put  the  voice  of  peace  into  their  mouths,  and  they 
shall  be  your  registers,  in  which  I  will  record  your 
pardon,  and  the  voice  of  guilt  and  wrath  and  terror 
shall  cease. 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  273 

Here  I  sign  your  release  from  the  house  of  bond- 
age. Come  forth,  ye  captives,  come  forth,  ye  prison- 
ers of  hope,  for  I  have  found  a  ransom,  I  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison 
to  them  that  are  bound.  Behold,  I  have  broken  your 
bonds,  and  shaken  the  foundations  of  your  prisons,  and 
opened  the  iron  gates.  By  the  blood  of  the  covenant 
have  I  sent  forth  the  prisoners  out  of  the  pit  wherein 
there  is  no  water.  Arise,  0  redeemed  of  the  Lord, 
put  off  the  raiment  of  your  captivities,  arise  and  come 
away. 

The  dark  and  noisome  prison  of  sin  shall  no  longer 
detain  you.  I  will  loose  your  fetters,  and  knock  off 
your  bolts.  Sin  shall  not  have  dominion  over  you. 
I  will  heal  your  backslidings,  I  will  subdue  your  ini- 
quities, I  will  sanctify  you  wholly,  and  will  put  my 
fear  in  your  hearts,  that  you  shall  not  depart  from  me. 
Though  your  corruptions  be  strong  and  many,  yet  the 
aids  of  my  Spirit,  the  cleansing  virtue  of  my  word  and 
of  my  corrections,  shall  so  work  together  with  your 
prayers  and  endeavors,  that  they  shall  not  finally  pre- 
vail against  you,  but  shall  surely  fall  before  you. 

From  the  strong  and  loathsome  jail  of  the  grave 
do  I  deliver  you.  0  death,  I  will  be  thy  plague ;  0 
grave,  I  will  be  thy  destruction ;  my  beloved  shall 
never  see  corruption.  I  will  change  your  rottenness 
into  glory,  and  make  your  dust  arise  and  praise  me. 
What  is  sown  in  weakness,  I  will  raise  in  power; 
what  is  sown  in  corruption,  I  will  raise  in  incorrup- 
tion  ;  what  is  sown  a  natural  body,  I  will  raise  a 
spiritual  body.  This  very  flesh  of  yours,  this  corrupt- 
12* 


274  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ible  flesh,  shall  put  on  incorruption,  and  this  mor- 
tal shall  put  on  immortality.  Death  shall  he  swal- 
lowed up  in  victory,  and  mortality  of  life.     Fear  not, 

0  my  children.  Come,  and  I  will  show  you  the  ene- 
my that  you  dreaded.  See,  here  lies  the  king  of  ter- 
rors, like  Sisera  in  the  tent,  fastened  to  the  ground 
with  the  nail  struck  through  his  temples.  Behold 
the  grateful  present,  the  head  of  your  enemy  in  a 
charger:  I  bequeath  you  your  conquered  adversary, 
and  make  over  death  as  your  legacy.  0  death,  where 
is  thy  sting  ?  where  now  is  thine  armor  wherein  thou 
trustedst  ?  Come,  my  people,  enter  into  your  cham- 
bers ;  come  to  your  beds  of  dust,  and  lay  you  down 
in  peace,  and  let  your  flesh  rest  in  hope  ;  for  even  in 
this  flesh  shall  you  see  (rod.  0  ye  slain  of  death, 
your  carcasses,  now  as  loathsome  as  the  carrion  in  the 
ditch,  will  I  redeem  from  the  power  of  the  grave,  and 
fashion  those  vile  bodies  like  unto  the  glorious  body 
of  your  exalted  Redeemer.  Look,  if  you  can,  on  the 
sun  when  shining  in  his  strength :  with  such  dazzling 
glory  will  I  clothe  you,  0  ye  of  little  faith. 

From  the  terrible  dungeon  of  eternal  darkness  do 

1  hereby  free  you.  Fear  not,  you  shall  not  be  hurt 
of  the  second  death ;  you  are  delivered  from  the  wrath 
to  come,  and  shall  never  come  into  condemnation. 
Ihe  flames  of  Tophet  shall  not  be  able  to  singe  the 
hair  of  your  heads,  no,  nor  the  smell  of  fire  pass 
upon  you.  Stand  upon  the  brink,  and  look  down  into 
the  horrible  pit,  the  infernal  prison  from  whence  1 
have  freed  you.  See  you  how  the  smoke  of  their  tor- 
ments ascendeth  for  ever?     Hear  you  the  cursings 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  275 

and  ravings,  the  roarings  and  blasphemies  ?  What 
think  you  of  those  hellish  fiends  ?  would  you  have 
been  willing  to  have  them  for  your  companions  and 
tormentors  ?  What  think  you  of  those  chains  of  dark- 
ness, of  the  river  of  brimstone,  of  the  instruments  of 
torment  for  soul  and  body,  of  those  weepings  and 
waitings  and  gnashing  of  teeth  ?  Can  you  think  of 
nu  everlasting  banishment,  of  a  sentence,  "  Go,  yo 
cursed  ?"  Could  you  dwell  with  everlasting  burn- 
ings, could  you  abide  with  devouring  fire?  This  is 
the  inheritance  yon  were  born  to.  But  I  have  out 
off  the  entail,  and  wrought  for  you  a  great  salvation. 
I  have  not  ordained  you  to  wrath,  but  my  thoughts 
towards  you  are  thoughts  of  peace. 

Here  I  deliver  you  your  protection.  From  all 
your  enemies  will  I  save  you.  I  grant  you  a  protec- 
tion from  the  arrests  of  the  law:  your  Surety  hath 
fully  answered  it;  my  justice  is  satisfied,  my  wrath 
is  pacified,  my  honor  is  repaired.  Behold,  I  am  near 
that  justify  you;  who  is  he  that  shall  condemn  you? 

From  the  usurped  dominion  of  the  powers  of  dark- 
ness. I  will  tread  Satan  shortly  under  you,  and  will 
set  your  feet  in  triumph  upon  the  necks  of  your  ene- 
mies. Let  not  your  hearts  be  troubled,  though  you 
are  to  wrestle  with  principalities  and  powers,  and  the 
rulers  of  the  darkness  of  this  world;  for  stronger  is 
He  that  is  in  you,  than  he  that  is  in  the  world.  He 
may  bruise  your  heel,  but  you  shall  bruise  his  head. 
Behold  your  Redeemer  leading  captivity  captive,  spoil- 
ing principalities  and  powers,  and  triumphing  over 
them  openly  in  his  cross.     See  how  Satan  falleth  like 


276  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

lightning  from  heaven,  and  the  Samson  of  your  salva- 
tion beareth  away  the  gates  of  hell,  posts  and  all,  upon 
his  shoulders,  and  setteth  them  up  as  trophies  of  his 
victory:  how  he  pulleth  out  the  throat  of  the  lion,  and 
lifteth  up  the  heart  of  the  traitor  upon  the  top  of  his 
spear,  and  washeth  Ins  hands,  and  dyeth  his  robes  in 
the  blood  of  those  your  enemies. 

From  the  victory  of  the  world.  Neither  its  frowns 
nor  its  flatteries  shall  be  too  hard  for  your  victorious 
faith.  Though  it  raise  up  Egypt  and  Amalek  and 
Moab,  and  all  its  armies  against  you,  yet  it  shah 
never  keep  you  out  of  Canaan.  Be  of  good  comfort, 
your  Lord  hath  overcome  the  world.  Though  its 
temptations  be  very  powerful,  yet  this,  upon  my  faith- 
fulness, will  I  promise  you,  that  no  such  shall  come 
upon  you,  but  what  you  shall  be  able  to  bear.  But 
if  I  see  such  trials  as  would  be  too  hard  for  your 
graces,  and  overthrow  your  souls,  I  will  never  suffer 
them  to  come  upon  you  ;  nay,  I  will  make  your  ene- 
my to  serve  you,  and  do  bequeath  the  world  as  part 
of  your  dowry  to  you. 

From  the  curse  of  the  cross.  Affliction  shall  prove 
a  wholesome  cup  to  you;  your  Lord  hath  drunk  the 
venom  into  his  own  body,  and  what  remains  for  you 
is  but  a  healthful  potion,  which  I  will  promise  you 
shall  work  for  your  good.  Be  not  afraid  to  drink,  nor 
desire  the  cup  should  pass  from  you:  I  bless  the  cup 
before  I  give  it  unto  you.  Drink  you  all  of  it,  and 
be  thankful ;  you  shall  find  my  blessing  at  the  bottom 
of  the  cup,  to  sweeten  the  sharpest  afflictions  to  you. 
I  will  stand  by  you  in  all  conditions,  and  be  a  fast 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  277 

friend  to  you  in  every  change.  In  the  wilderness  I 
will  speak  comfortably  to  you,  and  in  the  fire  and  in 
the  water  I  will  he  with  you.  I  will  he  a  strength  to 
the  poor,  and  a  strength  to  the  needy  in  his  distress  ; 
a  refuge  from  the  storm,  and  a  shadow  from  the  heat, 
when  the  blast  of  terrible  ones  is  as  a  storm  against 
the  wall.  Your  sufferings  shall  not  be  a  cup  of 
wrath,  but  a  grace  cup;  not  a  curse,  but  a  cure; 
not  a  cup  of  trembling,  but  a  cup  of  blessing  to  you. 
They  shall  not  hurt  you,  but  heal  you.  My  blessing 
shall  attend  you  in  every  condition.  I  say  not  only, 
Blessed  shall  you  be  in  your  basket,  and  blessed  in 
your  store;  but  blessed  shall  you  be  in  your  poverty, 
and  blessed  shall  you  be  in  your  straits :  not  only 
blessed  shall  you  be  in  your  cities,  and  blessed  shall 
you  be  in  your  fields ;  but  blessed  shall  you  be  in 
your  bonds,  and  blessed  shall  you  be  in  your  banish- 
ment. Blessed  shall  you  be  when  you  are  persecuted, 
and  when  you  are  reviled,  and  your  name  is  cast  out 
as  evil;  yea,  then  doubly  blessed.  My  choicest  bless- 
ings, greatest  good,  and  richest  sweets,  will  I  put  into 
your  evil  things.  These  happy  immunities,  these 
glorious  liberties  of  the  sons  of  God,  by  this  immuta- 
ble charter  I  do  for  ever  settle  upon  you ;  and  do  in, 
and  with  my  covenant,  unalterably,  irrevocably,  ever- 
lastingly convey  unto  you,  and  confirm  upon  you. 

2.  Yea,  I  will  not  only  free  you  from  your  miseries, 
but  will  confer  upon  you  royal  privileges  and  pre- 
rogatives, and  instate  you  into  higher  and  greater 
happiness  than  ever  you  have  fallen  from.  Lo,  I  give 
myself  to  you,  and  all  things  with  myself 


278  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Behold,  0  ye  sons  of  men ;  behold,  and  wonder. 
Be  astonished,  0  heavens ;  be  moved,  ye  strong 
foundations  of  the  earth;  for  you  shall  be  my  wit- 
nesses. This  day  do  I  by  covenant  bestow  myself 
upon  my  servants.  I  will  be  your  God  for  ever  and 
ever — your  own  God.  Nothing  in  the  world  is  so 
much  your  own  as  I.  The  houses  that  you  have  built, 
that  you  have  bought,  are  not  so  much  yours  as  I  am. 
Here  you  are  tenants  at  will;  but  I  am  your  eternal 
inheritance.  These  are  loans  for  a  season,  but  I  am 
your  dwelling-place  in  all  generations.  You  have 
nowhere  so  great  a  proprietorship,  so  sure  and  unal- 
terable a  claim,  as  you  have  here.  What  do  you 
count  your  own  ?  Do  you  count  your  bodies  your 
own,  your  souls  your  own  ?  Nay,  these  are  not  your 
own;  they  are  bought  with  a  price.  But  you  may 
boldly  make  your  claim  to  me ;  you  may  freely  chal- 
lenge an  interest  in  me.  Come  near,  and  fear  not ; 
where  should  you  be  free,  if  not  with  your  own  ? 
where  should  you  be  bold,  if  not  at  home  ?  You  are 
never  in  all  the  world  so  much  at  home  as  when  you 
are  with  me.  You  may  freely  make  use  of  me,  or  of 
any  of  my  attributes,  whenever  you  need.  I  will  be 
all  to  you  that  you  can  wish. 

I  will  be  a  Friend  to  you.  My  secrets  shall  be  with 
you,  and  you  shall  have  all  freedom  of  access  to  me, 
and  liberty  to  pour  out  all  your  hearts  into  my  bosom. 

I  will  be  a  Physician  to  you.  I  will  heal  your 
backslidings,  and  cure  all  your  diseases.  Fear  not ; 
never  did  soul  miscarry  that  left  itself  in  my  hands, 
and  would  but  follow  my  prescriptions. 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  279 

I  will  be  a  Shepherd  to  you.  Be  not  afraid  of 
evil  tidings,  for  I  am  with  you ;  my  rod  and  my  staff 
shall  comfort  you.  You  shall  not  want,  for  I  will 
feed  you ;  you  shall  not  wander,  to  he  lost,  for  I  will 
restore  you.  I  will  cause  you  to  lie  down  in  green 
pastures,  and  lead  you  beside  the  still  waters.  I  will 
gather  you  with  my  arm,  and  carry  you  in  my  bosom, 
and  will  lead  on  softly,  as  the  flock  and  the  children 
are  able  to  endure.  If  officers  be  careless,  I  will  do 
the  work  myself.  I  will  seek  that  which  was  lost, 
and  bring  again  that  which  was  driven  away,  and 
bind  up  that  which  was  broken,  and  strengthen  that 
which  was  sick;  but  I  will  destroy  the  fat  and  the 
strong,  and  will  feed  them  with  judgment.  I  will 
watch  over  my  flock  by  night.  Behold,  I  have  ap- 
pointed my  ministers  as  your  watchmen,  and  over- 
seers that  watch  for  your  souls.  Yea,  mine  angels 
shall  be  your  watchers,  and  shall  keep  a  constant 
guard  upon  my  flock.  And  if  peradventure  the  ser- 
vants should  sleep,  mine  own  eyes  shall  keep  a  perpet- 
ual watch  over  you,  by  night  and  by  day.  The  Keeper 
of  Israel  never  slumbereth,  nor  sleepeth,  nor  withdraw* 
eth  his  eyes  from  the  righteous.  I  will  guide  you  with 
mine  eye  ;  I  will  never  trust  you  out  of  my  own  sight. 

I  will  be  a  Sovereign  to  you.  The  Lord  is  your 
judge,  the  Lord  is  your  lawgiver,  the  Lord  is  your 
king.  Fear  not  the  unrighteousness  of  men,  I  will 
judge  your  cause,  I  will  defend  your  rights.  You 
shall  not  stand  at  man's  bar ;  you  shall  not  be  cast  at 
their  vote:  let  them  curse,  I  will  bless;  let  them  con- 
demn, I  will  justify.     When  you  come  upon  trial  for 


2S0  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

your  lives,  to  have  your  eternal  state  decided,  you 
shall  see  your  Friend,  your  Father,  upon  the  bench. 
Into  my  hands  shall  your  cause  be  cast,  and  you  shall 
surely  stand  in  judgment,  and  be  found  at  the  right 
hand  among  the  sheep,  and  hear  the  King  say,  Come 
ye  blessed,  inherit  the  kingdom. 

I  will  be  a  Husband  to  you.  In  loving-kindness, 
and  in  mercies,  will  I  betroth  you  unto  me  for  ever. 
I  will  espouse  your  interest,  and  will  be  as  one  with 
you,  and  you  with  me.  You  shall  be  for  me,  and  not 
for  another;  and  I  also  will  be  for  you.  Though  I 
found  you  as  a  helpless  infant  exposed  in  its  blood, 
all  your  unworihiness  doth  not  discourage  me.  Lo, 
I  have  looked  upon  you,  and  put  my  comeliness  upon 
you.  Moreover,  I  swear  unto  you,  and  enter  into 
covenant  with  you,  and  you  shall  be  mine.  Behold, 
I  do,  as  it  were,  put  myself  out  of  my  own  power,  and 
do  here  solemnly,  in  this  my  marriage-covenant,  make 
away  myself  to  you,  and  with  myself  all  things.  I 
will  be  an  everlasting  portion  to  you.  Lift  up  now 
your  eyes  eastward  and  westward  and  northward  and 
southward.  Have  you  not  a  worthy  portion,  a  goodly 
heritage  ?  Can  you  cast  up  your  riches,  or  count  your 
own  happiness  ?  Can  you  fathom  immensity,  or  reach 
omnipotency,  or  comprehend  eternity?  All  this  is 
yours.  I  will  set  open  all  my  treasures  to  you,  I 
will  keep  back  nothing  from  you. 

II.  All  the  attributes  in  the  G-odhead,  and  all  the 
persons  in  the  Godhead,  do  I  hereby  make  over  to 
you.  I  will  be  yours  in  all  my  essential  perfections, 
and  in  all  my  personal  relations. 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  251 

1.  In  all  my  essential  perfections.  My  eternity 
shall  be  the  date  of  your  happiness.  I  am  the  eternal 
God,  and  while  I  am,  I  will  be  life  and  blessedness  to 
you.  I  will  be  a  never-failing  fountain  of  joy  and 
peace  and  bliss  unto  you.  I  am  the  first  and  the  last, 
that  was,  and  is,  and  is  to  come,  and  my  eternal 
power  and  godhead  shall  be  bound  to  you.  I  will  be 
your  (rod,  your  Father,  your  Friend,  while  I  have  any 
being.  I  have  made  my  everlasting  choice  in  choos- 
ing you.  Fear  not,  for  the  eternal  God  is  your  refuge, 
and  underneath  are  the  everlasting  arms.  My  durable 
riches  and  righteousness  shall  be  yours.  Though  all 
should  forsake  you.  yet  will  I  not  forsake  you.  When 
the  world  and  all  that  is  therein  shall  be  burnt  up,  I 
will  be  a  standing  portion  for  you.  When  you  are 
forgotten  among  the  dead,  with  everlasting  loving- 
kindness  will  I  remember  you. 

My  unchangcablencss  shall  be  the  rock  of  your 
rest.  "When  all  the  world  is  like  the  tumbling  ocean 
round  about  you,  here  you  may  fix  and  settle.  I  am 
your  resting-place.  The  immutability  of  my  nature, 
and  of  my  counsel,  and  of  my  covenant,  are  sure  foot- 
ing for  your  faith,  and  a  firm  foundation  for  your  strong 
and  everlasting  consolation.  When  you  are  afflicted, 
tossed  with  tempests,  and  not  comforted,  take  refuge 
in  me:  I  am  a  haven  of  hope,  I  am  a  harbor  of  resf 
for  you ;  here  cast  your  anchors,  and  you  shall  never 
be  moved. 

My  omnipotence  shall  be  your  guard.  I  am  God 
Almighty,  your  almighty  Protector,  your  almighty 
Benefactor.     What  though  your  enemies  are  many  ? 


282  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

more  are  they  that  are  with  you,  than  they  that  are 
against  you ;  for  I  am  with  you.  What  though  they 
are  mighty,  they  are  not  almighty.  Your  Father  is 
greater  than  all,  and  none  shall  pluck  you  out  of  my 
hands.  Who  can  hinder  my  power,  or  obstruct  my 
salvation?  Who  is  like  unto  the  God  of  Jeshurun, 
who  rideth  on  the  heaven  for  your  help,  and  in  his 
excellency  on  the  sky?  I  am  the  sword  of  your 
strength,  and  the  shield  of  your  excellency.  I  am  your 
rock  and  your  fortress,  your  deliverer,  your  strength, 
the  horn  of  your  salvation,  and  your  high  tower.  I 
will  maintain  you  against  all  the  power  of  the  enemy. 
You  shall  never  sink,  if  omnipotence  can  support 
you.  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  you. 
Your  enemies  shall  find  hard  work  of  it.  They  shall 
overcome  victory,  or  enervate  omnipotence,  or  cor- 
rupt fidelity,  or  change  immutability,  or  else  they 
cannot  finally  prevail  against  you ;  either  they  shall 
how  or  break.  Though  they  should  exalt  themselves 
as  the  eagle,  though  they  should  set  their  nest  among 
the  stars,  even  thence  will  I  bring  them  down,  saith 
the  Lord. 

My  faithfulness  shall  be  your  security;  my  truth, 
yea,  my  oath  shall  fail  if  ever  you  come  off  losers  by 
me.  I  will  make  you  to  confess,  when  you  see  the 
issue  and  upshot  of  all  my  providences,  that  I  was  a 
God  worthy  to  be  trusted,  worthy  to  be  believed,  wor- 
thy to  be  rested  in  and  relied  upon.  If  you  walk  not 
in  my  judgments,  you  must  look  for  my  threats  and 
ftowns,  yea,  and  blows  too;  and  you  shall  see  that  I 
am  not  in  jest  with  you,  nor  will  indulge  you  in  your 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  283 

sins.  Nevertheless  my  loving-kindness  will  I  never 
take  from  you,  nor  sutler  my  faithfulness  to  fail.  My 
covenant  will  I  not  break,  nor  alter  the  tiling  that  is 
gone  out  of  my  lips. 

My  mercies  shall  be  your  store.  I  am  the  Father 
of  mercies,  and  such  a  Father  I  will  be  to  you.  I 
am  the  fountain  of  mercies,  and  this  fountain  shall  be 
ever  open  to  you.  My  mercies  are  very  many,  and 
they  shall  be  multiplied  towards  you  ;  very  great,  and 
they  shall  be  magnified  upon  you;  very  sure,  and 
they  shall  be  for  ever  sure  to  you;  very  tender,  and 
they  shall  be  infinitely  tender  of  you.  Though  the 
fig-tree  do  not  blossom,  nor  the  vine  bear,  nor  the 
flock  bring  forth,  fear  not,  for  my  compassions  fail 
not.  Surely  goodness  and  mercy  shall  follow  you  all 
the  days  of  your  lives.  Even  to  your  old  age  I  am  he, 
and  even  to  hoar  hairs  will  I  carry  you:  I  have  made, 
and  I  will  bear,  even  I  will  carry  and  deliver  you:  I 
will  make  an  everlasting  covenant  with  you,  that  I 
will  not  turn  away  from  you  to  do  you  good — that  T 
will  show  you  the  kindness  of  God.  I  can  as  soon 
forget  to  be  Grod,  as  forget  to  be  gracious.  While  my 
name  is  Jehovah,  merciful,  gracious,  long-suffering, 
abundant  in  goodness  and  truth,  I  will  never  forget 
to  show  mercy  to  you.  All  my  ways  towards  you 
shall  be  mercy  and  truth.  I  have  sworn  that  I  would 
not  be  wroth  with  you,  nor  rebuke  you ;  for  the  moun- 
tains shall  depart,  and  the  hills  be  removed,  but  my 
kindness  shall  not  depart  from  you,  neither  shall  the 
covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that 
hath  mercy  on  you. 


284  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

My  omniscience  shall  be  your  overseer;  mine  eyes 
shall  be  ever  open,  observing  your  wants  to  relieve 
them,  and  your  wrongs  to  avenge  them.  Mine  ears 
shall  be  ever  open  to  hear  the  prayers  of  my  poor,  the 
cries  of  mine  oppressed,  the  clamors,  calumnies,  and 
reproaches  of  your  enemies.  Surely  I  have  seen  your 
affliction,  and  know  your  sorrows.  And  shall  not  God 
avenge  his  own  elect  ?  I  will  avenge  them  speedily. 
I  see  the  secret  plots  and  designs  of  your  enemies 
against  you,  and  will  disannul  their  counsels.  I  see 
your  secret  integrity,  and  the  uprightness  of  your 
hearts  towards  me,  while  the  carnal  and  censorious 
world  condemn  you  as  hypocrites.  Your  secret  pray- 
ers, fasts,  and  tears,  which  the  world  knoweth  not  of, 
I  observe  them,  and  record  them.  Your  secret  care 
to  please  me,  your  secret  pains  with  your  own  hearts, 
your  secret  self-searchings  and  self-denial,  I  see  them 
all;  your  Father  which  seeth  in  secret  shall  reward 
them  openly. 

My  wisdom  shall  be  your  counsellor.  If  any  lack 
wisdom,  let  him  ask  of  me,  and  it  shall  be  given  him. 
I  will  be  your  deliverer.  When  you  are  in  darkness,  I 
will  be  a  light  to  you.  I  will  make  your  way  plain  be- 
fore you.  You  are  but  short-sighted,  but  I  will  be  eyes 
to  you.  I  will  watch  over  you,  to  bring  upon  you  all 
the  good  I  have  promised,  and  to  keep  off  all  the  evil 
you  fear,  or  to  turn  it  into  good.  You  shall  have  your 
food  in  its  season,  and  your  medicine  in  its  season — 
mercies,  afflictions,  all  suitable,  and  in  their  season.  ] 
will  outwit  your  enemies,  and  make  their  oracles  to 
speak  but  folly.    The  old  serpent  shall  not  deceive  vou 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  2S5 

I  will  acquaint  you  with  his  devices.  The  deceitful 
hearts  you  fear  shall  not  undo  you;  I  will  discover  their 
wiles.  I  know  how  to  deliver  the  godly  out  of  tempta- 
tion, and  to  reserve  the  unjust  to  the  day  of  judgment 
to  be  punished.  Trust  in  me  with  all  your  hearts,  and 
lean  not  to  your  own  understanding,  I  am  God  that 
performeth  all  things  for  you.  I  will  forfeit  the  rep- 
utation of  my  wisdom,  if  I  make  you  not  to  acknow- 
ledge, when  you  see  the  end  of  the  Lord — though  at 
present  you  wonder,  and  reach  not  the  meaning  of 
my  proceeding!'? — that  all  my  works  are  in  weight  and 
in  number  and  in  time  and  in  order;  if  I  cause  you 
not  to  cry  out.  Manifold  are  thy  works,  in  wisdom 
hast  thou  made  them  all. 

My  justice  shall  be  your  avenger  and  re  warder. 
Fear  not  to  approach  ;  fury  is  not  in  me.  My  justice 
is  not  only  appeased  towards  you,  but  engaged  for 
you.  I  am  so  fully  satisfied  in  the  sacrifice  of  my 
Beloved,  that  justice  itself,  which  was  as  a  flaming 
sword  drawn  against  you,  doth  now  greatly  befriend 
you ;  and  that  which  was  an  amazing,  confounding 
terror,  shall  now  become  your  relief  and  consolation. 
Under  all  your  oppressions,  here  shall  your  refuge  be. 
Let  me  know  your  grievances;  my  justice  shall  right 
your  wrongs,  and  reward  your  services.  You  may 
conclude  upon  your  pardons,  conclude  upon  your 
crowns,  conclude  upon  reparation  for  all  your  injuries, 
and  all  from  the  sweet  consideration  of  my  justice, 
the  thought  of  which  to  others  is  as  the  horror  of  the 
shadow  of  death.  If  you  sin,  despair  not ;  remember, 
I  am  just  to  forgive  you.     If  you  are  at  any  pains  or 


286  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

cost  for  me,  do  not  count  it  lost ;  for  I  am  not  unright- 
eous to  forget  you.  I  am  the  righteous  Judge,  that 
have  laid  up  for  you,  and  will  set  on  you  the  crown 
of  righteousness.  Are  you  reviled,  persecuted,  de- 
famed ?  Forget  not  that  I  am  righteous  to  render 
tribulation  to  them  that  trouble  you,  and  to  you  that 
are  troubled,  rest  with  me.  Though  all  your  services 
and  sufferings  deserve  not  the  least  good  at  my  hands, 
yet  as  I  have  freely  passed  my  promise  to  reward 
them,  so  I  will  as  justly  keep  it. 

My  omnipresence  shall  be  company  for  you.  Surely 
I  will  be  with  you,  to  bless  you.  No  bolts,  nor  bars, 
nor  bonds,  nor  banishment  shall  remove  you  from 
me,  nor  keep  my  presence  and  the  influences  of  heav- 
en from  you.  I  am  always  with  you  :  in  your  dark- 
est nights,  in  your  deepest  dangers,  I  am  at  hand  with 
you,  a  very  present  help  in  the  time  of  trouble.  I  am 
not  a  God  afar  off,  or  asleep,  or  in  a  journey,  when 
you  need  my  counsel,  mine  ear,  or  mine  aid :  I  am 
always  nigh  unto  them  that  fear  me.  No  Patmos,  no 
prison  shall  hinder  the  presence  of  my  grace  from 
you.  My  presence  shall  perfume  the  most  noisome 
cell,  and  lighten  the  darkest  dungeon  where  you  can 
be  thrust. 

My  holiness  shall  be  a  fountain  of  grace  to  you. 
I  am  the  God  of  hope,  the  God  of  love,  the  God  of 
patience,  the  author  and  finisher  of  faith,  the  God  of 
all  grace,  and  I  will  give  grace  to  you.  My  design  is 
to  make  you  partakers  of  my  holiness.  I  will  be  a 
constant  spring  of  spiritual  life  to  you.  The  water 
that  T  shall  give  you,  shall  be  in  you  a  well  of  water 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  237 

springing  up  into  everlasting  life.  The  seed  of  life 
that  I  shall  put  into  you,  shall  he  so  fed  and  cherished 
and  maintained  by  my  power,  that  it  shall  be  immor- 
tal. The  unction  that  you  shall  receive  from  the  Holy 
One  shall  abide  in  you,  and  teach  you  all  things  ne- 
cessary for  you  ;  and  as  it  hath  taught  you,  you  shall 
abide  in  him.  You  shall  flourish  in  the  courts  of  your 
God.  Yea,  I  will  satisfy  your  souls  in  drought,  and 
make  fat  your  bones,  and  you  shall  be  like  a  watered 
garden.  Lo,  I  will  be  as  the  dew  unto  you,  and  you 
shall  grow  as  the  lily,  and  cast  forth  your  roots  as 
Lebanon ;  and  your  branches  shall  spread,  and  your 
beauty  shall  be  as  the  olive-tree.  You  shall  still 
bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age,  you  shall  be  fat  and  flour- 
ishing. 

My  sovereignty  shall  be  commanded  by  you.  You 
shall  be  my  favorites,  men  of  power,  to  prevail  with 
me.  All  my  attributes  shall  be  at  the  command  of 
your  prayers. 

In  sum,  my  all-sufficiency  shall  be  the  lot  of  your 
inheritance.  My  fulness  is  your  treasure.  My  house 
is  your  home.  You  may  come  as  freely  to  my  store, 
as  to  your  own  cupboard.  You  may  have  your  hand 
as  freely  in  my  treasures,  as  in  your  own  purses. 
You  cannot  ask  too  much,  you  cannot  look  for  too 
much  from  me.  I  will  give  you,  or  be  myself  to 
you  instead  of,  all  comforts.  You  shall  have  chil- 
dren, or  I  will  be  better  to  you  than  ten  children. 
You  shall  have  riches,  or  I  will  be  more  to  you  than 
all  riches. 

You  shall  have  friends,  if  best  for  you,  or  else  T 


238  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

will  be  your  comforter  in  your  solitude,  your  counsel- 
lor in  your  distress.  If  you  leave  father  or  mother, 
or  houses  or  lands,  for  my  sake,  you  shall  have  a 
hundred-fold  in  me,  even  in  this  time.  When  your 
enemies  shall  remove  your  comforts,  it  shall  be  but  as 
the  letting  the  cistern  run  and  opening  the  fountain, 
or  putting  out  the  candles  and  letting  in  the  sun. 
The  swelling  of  the  waters  shall  raise  higher  the  ark 
of  your  comfort.  I  will  be  the  staff  of  bread  to  you, 
your  life,  and  the  strength  of  your  days.  I  will  be 
the  house  and  home  to  you,  you  shall  dwell  with  me ; 
yea,  dwell  in  me,  and  I  in  you.  I  will  stand  and 
fall  with  you.  I  will  repair  your  losses,  and  relieve 
your  needs.  Can  you  burn  out  the  lamp  of  heaven, 
or  lave  out  the  boundless  ocean  with  your  hands  ? 
Why,  the  sun  shall  be  dark  and  the  sea  be  dry,  before 
the  Father  of  lights;  the  fountain  of  mercies  shall  be 
exhausted.  Behold,  though  the  world  hath  been 
spending  upon  the  stock  of  my  mercy  ever  since  I 
created  man  upon  earth,  yet  it  runs  with  full  stream 
still.  My  sun  doth  diffuse  its  rays  and  disburse  its 
light,  and  yet  shines  as  bright  as  ever :  much  more 
can  I  dispense  of  my  goodness,  and  fill  my  creatures 
brimful  and  running  over,  and  yet  have  never  the 
less  in  myself:  and  till  this  all-sufficiency  be  spent, 
you  shall  never  be  undone.  I  am  the  God  of  Abra- 
ham, and  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  and  whatever  I  was 
to  them,  I  will  be  to  you. 

Are  you  in  want  ?  you  know  whither  to  go.  I  am 
ever  at  home  ;  you  shall  not  go  away  empty  from  my 
ioor.     Never  distract  yourselves  with  cares  and  fears, 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  2S9 

but  make  known  your  requests  by  prayer  and  suppli- 
cation unto  me.  I  will  help  when  all  things  else 
fail.  When  friends  fail  and  hearts  fail,  when  your 
eyestrings  crack  and  your  heartstrings  crack,  when 
your  acquaintance  leave  you  and  your  souls  leave 
you,  my  bosom  shall  be  open  to  you.  I  will  lock  up 
your  dust,  I  will  receive  your  souls. 

And  my  infinitenczs  shall  be  the  extent  of  your 
inheritance.  Can  you  by  searching  find  out  God ; 
can  you  find  out  the  Almighty  to  perfection  ?  It  is 
high  as  heaven,  what  can  you  do  ?  deeper  than  hell, 
what  can  you  know  ?  This  height  incomprehensible, 
this  depth  unfathomable,  shall  be  all  yours,  for  ever 
yours.  I  am  your  inheritance  which  no  line  can 
measure,  no  arithmetic  can  value,  no  surveyor  can 
describe.  Lift  up  now  your  eyes  to  the  ancient  moun- 
tains, and  to  the  utmost  bounds  of  the  everlasting 
hills :  all  that  you  can  see  is  yours ;  but  your  short 
sight  cannot  ken  the  moiety  of  what  I  give  you  ;  and 
when  you  see  and  know  most,  you  are  no  less  than 
infinitely  short  of  the  discovery  of  your  own  riches. 
Job  26 :  14. 

2.  Yea,  further,  I  will  be  yours  in  all  my  per- 
sonal RELATIONS. 

I  am  the  everlasting  Father,  and  I  will  be  a  Fa- 
ther to  you.  I  take  you  for  my  sons  and  daughters. 
Behold,  I  receive  you  not  as  servants,  but  as  sons  to 
abide  in  my  house  for  ever.  Whatever  love  or  care 
children  may  look  for  from  their  father,  that  may  you 
expect  from  me  ;  and  so  much  more  as  I  am  wiser 
and  greater  and  better  than  any  earthly  parents.     If 

ITrtven  Opened.  \  3 


290  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

earthly  fathers  will  give  good  things  to  their  children, 
much  more  will  I  give  to  you.  If  such  cannot  forget 
their  children,  much  less  will  I  forget  you.  What 
would  my  children  have  ?  Your  Father's  heart,  and 
your  Father's  house ;  your  Father's  care,  and  your 
Father's  ear  ;  your  Father's  hread,  and  your  Father's 
rod :  these  shall  he  all  yours. 

You  shall  have  my  fatherly  affection;  my  heart  I 
share  among  you,  my  tend  crest  love  I  bestow  upon 
you. 

My  fatherly  compassion.  As  a  father  pitieth  his 
children,  so  will  I  pity  you.  I  will  consider  your 
frame,  and  not  be  extreme  to  mark  what  is  done  amiss 
by  you,  but  cover  all  with  the  mantle  of  my  excusing 
love. 

My  fatherly  instruction.  I  will  cause  you  to  hear 
the  sweet  voice  behind  you  saying,  This  is  the  way. 
I  will  be  tender  of  your  weakness,  and  inculcate  mine 
admonitions,  line  upon  line,  and  feed  you  with  milk 
when  you  cannot  digest  stronger  meat.  I  will  instruct 
you,  and  guide  you  with  mine  eye. 

My  fatherly  protection.  In  my  fear  is  strong  con- 
fidence, and  my  children  shall  have  a  place  of  refuge. 
My  name  shall  be  your  strong  tower,  to  which  you 
may  at  all  times  fly  and  be  safe.  To  your  strong- 
hold, ye  prisoners  of  hope.  I  am  an  open  refuge,  a 
near  and  inviolable  refuge  for  you. 

My  fatherly  provision.  Be  not  afraid  of  want ;  in 
your  Father's  house  there  is  bread  enough.  I  will 
care  for  your  bodies.  Be  not  anxious  what  you  shall 
eat,  drink,  or  put  on.     Let  it  suffice  you  that  your 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  291 

heavenly  Father  knoweth  that  you  have  need  of  all 
things.  I  will  provide  for  your  souls,  meat  for  them, 
and  mansions  for  them,  and  portions  for  them.  Be- 
hold, I  have  spread  the  tahle  of  my  gospel  for  you, 
with  privileges  and  comforts  that  no  man  takcth  from 
you.  I  have  set  before  you  the  bread  of  life,  and  the 
tree  of  life,  and  the  water  of  life.  Eat,  0  friends ; 
drink  abundantly,  0  beloved.  But  all  this  is  but  a 
taste  of  what  I  have  prepared.  You  must  have  but 
smiles  and  hints  now,  and  be  contented  with  glimpses 
and  glances  here ;  but  you  shall  be  shortly  taken  up 
into  your  Father's  bosom,  and  live  for  ever  in  the  full- 
est views  of  his  glory. 

My  fatherly  probation.  I  will  chasten  you  because 
I  love  you,  that  you  may  not  be  condemned  with  the 
world. 

My  Son  I  give  unto  you,  in  a  marriage-covenant 
for  ever.  I  make  him  over  to  you  as  wisdom,  for  your 
illumination ;  righteousness,  for  your  justification ; 
sanetification,  for  the  curing  of  your  corruptions ;  re- 
demption, for  your  deliverance  from  your  enemies.  I 
bestow  him  upon  you  with  all  his  fulness,  all  his  mer- 
its, and  all  his  graces.  He  shall  be  yours  in  all  his 
offices.  I  have  anointed  him  for  a  Prophet.  Are  you 
ignorant,  he  shall  teach  you  ;  he  shall  be  eye-salve  to 
you.  I  have  sent  him  to  preach  the  gospel  to  the 
poor,  and  recovering  of  sight  to  the  blind ;  to  set  at 
liberty  them  that  are  bruised.  I  have  established  him 
by  oath,  as  a  Priest  for  ever.  If  any  sin,  he  shall  be 
your  Advocate  ;  he  shall  expiate  your  guilt,  and  make 
the  atonement.     Have  you  any  sacrifice,  any  service 


292  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

to  offer,  bring  it  unto  him,  and  you  shall  receive  an 
answer  of  peace. 

Present  your  petitions  hy  his  hand,  him  will  I 
accept.  Having  such  a  High-priest  over  the  house 
of  God,  you  may  come  and  welcome  ;  come  with  bold- 
ness. Him  have  I  set  up  as  King  upon  my  holy  hill 
of  Zion.  He  shall  rule  you,  he  shall  defend  you.  He 
is  the  King  of  righteousness,  King  of  peace  ;  and  such 
a  King  shall  he  be  to  you.  I  will  set  up  his  standard 
for  you ;  I  will  set  up  his  throne  in  you.  He  shall 
reign  in  righteousness,  and  rule  in  judgment ;  and  he 
shall  be  a  hiding-place  from  the  wind,  and  a  covert 
from  the  tempest,  and  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in 
a  weary  land.  He  shall  hear  your  causes  and  judge 
your  enemies,  and  reign  till  he  hath  put  all  under  his 
feet ;  yea,  and  under  your  feet ;  for  they  shall  be  as 
ashes  under  you,  and  you  shall  tread  them,  saith  the 
Lord  of  hosts.  Yea,  I  will  undo  them  that  afflict  you, 
and  all  they  that  despised  you  shall  bow  themselves 
down  at  the  soles  of  your  feet.  And  you  shall  go  forth 
and  behold  the  carcasses  of  the  men  that  have  tres- 
passed against  me  ;  for  their  worm  shall  not  die,  nei- 
ther shall  their  fire  be  quenched  ;  and  they  shall  be  an 
abhorring  to  all  flesh.     Isa.  66  :  24. 

My  Spirit  do  I  give  unto  you  for  your  Counsellor 
and  your  Comforter.  He  shall  be  a  constant  inmate 
with  you,  and  shall  dwell  in  you  and  abide  with  you 
for  ever.  I  consecrate  you  as  temples  to  his  holiness. 
He  shall  be  your  guide,  he  shall  lead  you  into  all 
truth.  He  shall  be  your  advocate  to  indite  your 
prayers,  and  make  intercession  for  you,  and  shall  fill 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  293 

your  mouths  with,  the  arguments  that  he  knows  will 
prevail  with  me.  He  shall  be  oil  to  your  wheels,  and 
strength  to  your  ancles,  wine  to  your  hearts,  and 
marrow  to  your  hones,  and  wind  to  your  sails.  He 
shall  witness  your  adoption.  He  shall  seal  you  to  the 
day  of  redemption,  and  be  to  you  the  earnest  of  your 
inheritance,  until  the  redemption  of  the  purchased  pos- 
session. 

III.  And  as  I  give  you  myself,  so  much  more  all 
things  with  myself.    Earth  and  heaven,  life  and  death, 

THINGS  PRESENT  and  THINGS  TO  COME. 

1.  Things  present  are  yours :  lo,  I  give  you  Ca- 
leb's blessing,  the  upper  springs  and  the  nether  springs. 
I  will  bless  you  with  all  spiritual  blessings  in  heavenly 
places  in  Christ.  To  you  pertaineth  the  adoption,  and 
the  glory,  and  the  covenants,  and  the  service  of  God, 
and  the  promises.  To  you  will  I  give  the  white  stone 
and  the  new  name,  access  into  my  presence,  the  ac- 
ceptation of  your  persons,  the  audience  of  your  pray- 
ers. Peace  I  leave  with  you,  my  peace  I  give  unto 
you.  I  will  keep  you  to  the  end,  and  then  crown  my 
own  gift  with  eternal  life.  I  have  made  you  heirs  of 
Grod,  and  coheirs  with  your  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
you  shall  inherit  all  things. 

I  have  granted  you  my  angels  for  your  guardians. 
The  courtiers  of  heaven  shall  attend  upon  you ;  they 
shall  be  all  ministering  spirits  for  your  good.  Behold, 
I  have  given  them  charge  over  you,  upon  their  fidelity 
to  look  after  you,  and,  as  tender  nurses,  to  bear  you  in 
their  arms,  and  to  keep  you  from  coming  to  any  hurt. 
These  shall  be  as  the  careful  shepherds,  to  watch  over 


294  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

my  flock  by  night,  and  to  encamp  round  about  my 
fold. 

My  ministers  I  give  for  your  guides.  Paul,  Apol- 
los,  Cephas,  all  are  yours.  I  am  always  with  them, 
and  they  shall  be  always  with  you  to  the  end  of  the 
world.  You  shall  have  pastors  after  my  own  heart, 
and  this  shall  be  my  covenant  with  you,  that  my 
Spirit  which  is  upon  you,  and  my  words  which  I 
have  put  into  your  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of 
your  mouth,  nor  the  mouth  of  your  seed,  nor  of  your 
seed's  seed,  from  henceforth  and  for  ever.  In  short, 
all  my  officers  shall  be  for  profiting  and  perfecting 
you.  All  my  ordinances  shall  be  for  edifying  and 
saving  you.  The  very  severities  of  my  house,  ad- 
monitions, censures,  and  the  whole  discipline  of  my 
family,  shall  be  for  preventing  your  infection,  curing 
your  corruption,  procuring  your  salvation. 

My  word  have  I  ordained  for  converting  your 
souls,  enlightening  your  eyes,  rejoicing  your  hearts, 
cautioning  you  of  dangers,  cleansing  your  defilements, 
and  conforming  you  to  my  image.  To  you  I  commit 
the  oracles  of  God.  Here  you  shall  be  furnished 
against  temptations,  hence  you  shall  be  comforted 
under  distresses  and  afflictions.  Here  you  shall  find 
my  whole  counsel.  This  shall  instruct  you  in  your 
way,  correct  you  in  your  wanderings,  direct  you  into 
the  truths  to  be  believed,  detect  to  you  the  errors  to 
be  rejected. 

My  ordinances  I  give  you  as  the  pledges  of  my 
love.  You  shall  freely  claim  them,  they  are  children's 
bread.     Lo,  I  have  given  them  to  certify  to  you  all 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  295 

that  I  have  here  promised  you ;  and  when  these  sacred 
signs  are  delivered  unto  you,  then  know,  and  remem- 
ber, and  consider  in  your  hearts,  that  I  therein  plight 
you  my  truth,  and  set  to  my  hand,  and  do  thereby 
ratify  and  confirm  every  article  of  these  indentures, 
and  do  actually  deliver  into  your  own  hands  this  glo- 
rious charter,  with  all  its  immunities  and  privileges, 
as  your  own  for  ever. 

And  having  sowed  to  you  so  largely  in  spiritual 
blessings,  shall  you  not  much  more  reap  the  temporal? 
Be  you  not  of  doubtful  mind ;  all  these  things  shall  be 
added  unto  you.  My  creatures  I  grant  for  your  ser- 
vants and  supplies.  Heaven  and  earth  shall  minister 
to  you.  All  the  stars  in  their  courses  shall  serve  you, 
and,  if  need  be,  shall  fight  for  you.  And  I  will  make 
my  covenant  for  you  with  the  beasts  of  the  field,  and 
with  the  fowls  of  heaven;  and  you  shall  be  in  league 
with  the  stones  of  the  field,  and  all  shall  be  at  peace 
with  you.  I  will  undertake  for  all  your  necessities. 
Do  I  feed  the  fowls,  and  clothe  the  grass,  and  do  you 
think  I  will  neglect  my  children  ?  I  hear  the  young 
ravens  when  they  cry ;  shall  I  not  much  more  fulfil 
the  desires  of  them  that  fear  me  ?  Fear  not,  you  shall 
be  sure  to  want  no  good  thing;  and  you  would  not 
yourselves  desire  riches,  pleasures,  or  preferment,  to 
your  hurt.  I  will  give  meat  to  them  that  fear  me :  I 
will  be  ever  mindful  of  my  covenant.  My  providen- 
ces shall  cooperate  to  your  good.  The  cross  winds 
shall  blow  you  the  sooner  and  swifter  into  your  har- 
bor. You  shall  be  preferred,  when  you  seem  most 
debased ;  shall  be  greatest  gainers,  when  you  seem. 


296  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

to  be  deepest  losers,  and  shall  most  effectually  pro- 
mote your  good,  when  you  seem  most  to  deny  it. 

2.  Things  to  come  are  yours :  the  perfecting  of  your 
souls,  the  redemption  of  your  bodies,  the  consumma- 
tion of  your  bliss.  When  you  have  glorified  me  for  a 
while  on  earth,  and  finished  the  work  I  have  given 
you  to  do,  you  shall  be  caught  up  into  paradise,  and 
rest  from  your  labors,  and  your  works  shall  follow 
you.  I  will  send  of  my  own  life-guard  to  conduct 
home  your  departing  souls,  and  receive  you  among 
the  spirits  of  just  men  made  perfect.  And  you  shall 
look  back  upon  Pharaoh,  and  all  his  host,  and  see 
your  enemies  dead  upon  the  shore.  Then  shall  be 
your  redemption  from  all  your  afflictions,  and  all  your 
corruptions.  The  thorn  in  the  flesh  shall  be  pulled 
out,  and  your  hour  of  temptation  shall  be  over  for 
ever. 

The  sweat  shall  be  wiped  from  your  brows,  and 
the  day  of  refreshing  shall  come,  and  you  shall  sit 
down  for  ever  under  my  shadow.  For  the  Lamb  that 
is  in  the  midst  of  the  throne  shall  feed  you,  and  lead 
you  to  living  fountains  of  water. 

The  tears  shall  be  wiped  away  from  your  eyes, 
and  there  shall  be  no  more  sorrow,  nor  crying,  neither 
shall  there  be  any  more  pain ;  for  the  former  things 
are  passed  away,  and  behold  I  make  all  things  new. 
I  will  change  Marah  into  ^Naomi,  the  cup  of  sor- 
row into  the  cup  of  salvation,  and  the  bread  and 
water  of  affliction  into  the  wine  of  eternal  consolation. 
You  shall  take  downpour  harps  from  the  willows,  and 
I  will  turn  your  tears  into  pearls,  and  your  peniten- 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  297 

tial  psalms  into  songs  of  deliverance.  You  shall 
change  your  Ichabods  into  hosannas,  and  your  ejacu- 
lations of  sorrow  into  hallelujahs  of  joy. 

The  cross  shall  be  taken  off  from  your  backs,  and 
you  shall  come  out  of  your  great  tribulations,  and 
wash  your  robes  and  make  them  white  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lamb ;  and  you  shall  be  before  the  throne 
of  God,  and  serve  him  night  and  day  in  his  temple  ; 
and  he  that  sitteth  on  the  throne  shall  dwell  amona; 
you,  and  you  shall  hunger  no  more,  and  thirst  no 
more,  neither  shall  the  sun  light  upon  you,  nor  any 
heat. 

The  load  shall  be  taken  off  from  your  consciences. 
Sins  and  doubts  shall  no  more  defile  you  or  distress 
you.  I  will  make  an  end  of  sin,  and  knock  off  the 
fetters  of  your  corruptions,  and  you  shall  be  a  glorious 
church,  not  having  spot,  or  wrinkle,  or  any  such  thing ; 
but  you  shall  be  holy  and  without  blemish. 

Thus  shall  you  be  brought  to  the  King  all  glorious, 
in  raiment  of  needle-work,  and  clothing  of  gold  ;  with 
gladness  and  rejoicing  shall  you  be  brought,  and  enter 
into  the  king's  palace.  So  shall  the  beloved  of  the 
Lord  dwell  safely  by  him,  and  you  shall  stand  con- 
tinually before  him,  and  behold  the  beauty  of  the 
Lord,  and  hear  his  wisdom.  Then  will  I  open  in  you 
an  everlasting  spring  of  joy,  and  you  shall  break  forth 
into  singing,  and  never  cease  more,  nor  rest  day  or 
night,  saying,  Holy,  holy,  holy. 

Thus  shall  the  grand  enemy  expire  with  your  dy- 
ing breath,  and  the  body  of  death  be  put  off  with  your 
mortal  body ;  and  the  day  of  your  death  shall  be  the 
13* 


298  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

birthday  of  your  glories.  Have  faith  in  Grod.  "Wait 
but  a  little,  and  sorrow  shall  cease,  and  sin  be  no 
more. 

And  then  a  little  longer,  and  death  shall  be  no 
more ;  but  your  last  enemy  shall  be  destroyed,  and 
your  victory  completed.  Yet  a  little  while,  and  He 
that  shall  come,  will  come,  and  }^ou  also  shall  appear 
with  him  in  glory.  This  same  Jesus  which  is  taken 
from  you  into  heaven,  shall  so  come  as  he  went  up 
into  heaven  ;  and  when  he  cometh,  he  will  receive  you 
to  himself,  that  where  he  is,  there  you  may  be  also. 
Behold  his  sign :  he  cometh  in  the  clouds  of  heaven 
with  power  and  great  glory ;  and  every  eye  shall  see 
him,  and  all  the  tribes  of  the  earth  shall  mourn  be- 
cause of  him  ;  but  you  shall  lift  up  your  heads,  because 
the  day  of  your  redemption  draweth  nigh.  Then  shall 
he  sound  his  trump,  and  make  you  hear  his  voice  in 
your  dust,  and  shall  send  his  mighty  angels  to  gather 
you  from  the  four  winds  of  heaven,  who  shall  carry 
you  in  the  triumphant  chariot  of  the  clouds,  to  meet 
your  Lord ;  and  you  shall  be  prepared  for  him,  and 
presented  to  him,  as  a  bride  adorned  for  her  husband. 
And  as  you  have  borne  the  image  of  the  earthly,  so 
shall  you  bear  the  image  of  the  heavenly ;  and  you 
shall  be  fully  conformed  both  in  body  and  spirit  to. 
your  glorious  Head.  Then  shall  he  confess  you  be- 
fore his  angels,  and  you  shall  receive  your  open  abso- 
lution before  all  flesh,  and  be  owned,  approved,  and 
applauded  in  the  public  audience  of  the  general  assem- 
bly. And  you  shall  be  with  all  royal  solemnities  es- 
poused unto  the  King  of  glory,  in  the  presence  of  all 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  299 

his  shining  courtiers,  to  the  envy  and  terror  of  your 
adversaries. 

So  shall  your  Lord  with  his  own  hand  crown  you, 
and  set  you  on  thrones  ;  and  you  shall  judge  men  and 
angels,  and  you  shall  have  power  over  the  nations,  and 
you  shall  set  your  feet  upon  the  necks  of  your  ene- 
mies. .  Lo,  I  have  set  the  very  day  for  your  instal- 
ment, I  have  provided  your  crowns,  I  have  prepared  tho 
kingdom.  Wherefore  do  you  doubt,  0  ye  of  little  faith  ? 
these  are  the  true  sayings  of  God.  Are  you  sure  that 
you  are  now  on  earth  ?  so  surely  shall  you  be  shortly 
with  me  in  heaven.  Are  you  sure  that  you  shall  die  ? 
so  surely  shall  you  rise  again  in  glory.  Lo,  I  have 
said  it,  and  who  shall  reverse  it  ?  You  shall  see  me 
face  to  face,  and  be  with  me  where  I  am,  and  behold 
my  glory.  For  I  will  be  glorified  in  my  saints,  and 
admired  in  all  them  that  believe ;  and  all  flesh  shall 
know  that  I  have  loved  you.  For  I  will  make  you  the 
trophies  of  my  grace,  in  whom  the  whole  world  shall 
see  how  unutterably  the  Almighty  God  can  advance 
the  poor  worm's  meat  and  dust  of  the  ground.  And 
the  despisers  shall  behold  and  wonder  and  perish ;  for 
they  shall  be  witnesses  to  the  riches  of  my  magnifi- 
cence and  the  exceeding  greatness  of  my  power.  They 
shall  go  away  into  everlasting  punishment,  but  you 
into  life  eternal ;  for  no  sooner  shall  their  sentence  be 
passed,  but  the  court  shall  rise,  and  the  Judge  shall 
return  with  all  his  glorious  train ;  with  sound  of  trum- 
pet and  shouts  incredible  shall  he  ascend,  and  shall 
lead  you  to  your  Father's  house.  Then  shall  the  tri- 
umphal arches  lift  uu>  their  heads,  and  the  everlasting 


300  HEAVEN  OPENED 

gates  stand  open,  and  the  heavens  shall  receive  you 
all,  and  so  shall  you  be  ever  with  the  Lord. 

And  now  will  I  rejoice  over  you  with  singing,  and 
rest  in  my  love  ;  and  heaven  shall  ring  with  joys  and 
acclamations,  because  I  have  received  you  safe  and 
sound.  And  in  that  day  you  shall  know  that  I  am  a 
reward er  of  them  that  diligently  seek  me ;  and  that 
I  did  record  your  words,  and  bottle  your  tears,  and 
tell  your  wanderings,  and  keep  an  account,  even  to  a 
cup  of  cold  water,  of  whatever  you  said  or  did  for  my 
name.  You  shall  surely  find  that  nothing  is  lost ;  but 
you  shall  have  full  measure,  pressed  down  and  running 
over,  thousands  of  years  in  paradise,  for  the  least  good 
thought,  and  thousand  thousands  for  the  least  good 
word ;  and  then  the  reckoning  shall  begin  again,  till 
all  arithmetic  be  nonplussed.  For  you  shall  be  swal- 
lowed up  in  a  blessed  eternity,  and  the  doors  of  heav- 
en shall  be  shut  upon  you,  and  there  shall  be  no  more 
going  out. 

The  glorious  choir  of  my  holy  angels,  the  goodly 
fellowship  of  my  blessed  prophets,  the  happy  society 
of  triumphant  apostles,  the  royal  hosts  of  victorious 
martyrs,  these  shall  be  your  companions  for  ever. 
And  you  shall  come  in  white  robes,  with  palms  in 
your  hands,  every  one  having  the  harps  of  God,  and 
golden  vials  full  of  odors,  and  shall  cast  your  crowns 
before  me,  and  strike  in  with  the  multitude  of  the 
heavenly  hosts,  glorifying  God,  and  saying,  Halle- 
lujah! the  Lord  God  omnipotent  reigneth.  Blessing, 
honor,  glory,  power  be  unto  Him  that  sitteth  upon 
the  throne,  and  unto  the  Lamb  for  ever  and  ever.    In 


RICHES  OF  THE   COVENANT.  301 

short,  I  will  make  you  equal  to  the  angels  of  God, 
and  you  shall  be  the  everlasting  trumpets  of  my 
praise.  You  shall  be  abundantly  satisfied  with  the 
fatness  of  my  house,  and  I  will  make  you  drink  of 
the  rivers  of  my  pleasures.  You  shall  be  an  eternal 
excellency ;  and  if  God  can  die,  and  eternity  run  out, 
then,  and  not  else,  shall  your  joys  expire.  For  you 
shall  see  me  as  I  am,  and  know  me  as  you  are  known  ; 
and  shall  behold  my  face  in  righteousness,  and  be 
satisfied  with  my  likeness.  And  you  shall  be  the 
vessels  of  my  glory,  whose  blessed  use  shall  be  to 
receive  the  overflowings  of  my  goodness,  and  to  have 
mine  infinite  love  and  glory  poured  out  into  you  brim- 
ful, and  running  over  for  evermore.  Blessed  is  he 
that  hath  believed,  for  there  shall  be  a  performance  of 
the  things  that  have  been  told  him.  I  the  Lord  have 
spoken  it;  you  shall  see  my  face,  and  my  name  shall 
be  written  in  your  foreheads ;  and  you  shall  no  more 
need  the  sun,  nor  the  moon,  for  the  Lord  God  shall 
give  you  light,  and  you  shall  reign  for  ever  and  ever. 

And  as  I  give  myself  to  you  for  your  God,  and  all 
things  with  myself,  so  I  take  you  for  my  covenant 
people,  and  you  shall  be  mine  in  the  day  when  I  make 
up  my  jewels;  and  I  will  spare  you  as  a  man  spareth 
his  own  son  that  serveth  him.  The  Lord  shall  count 
when  he  writeth  up  the  people,  Surely  they  are  my 
children.  I  do  not  only  require  you  to  be  mine,  if 
you  would  have  me  to  be  for  you,  but  I  do  promise 
to  make  you  mine,  and  to  work  in  you  the  conditions 
-which  I  require  of  you.  I  will  circumcise  your  hearts 
to  love  me.     I  will  take  out  the  heart  of  stone.     My 


302  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

laws  will  I  write  within  you.  Yet  you  must  know 
that  I  will  he  sought  unto  for  these  things;  and  as 
ever  you  expect  to  partake  of  the  mercies,  I  charge 
you  to  lie  at  the  pool,  and  wait  for  my  Spirit,  and  be 
diligent  in  the  use  of  the  means. 

I  am  content  to  abate  the  rigor  of  the  old  terms ; 
I  shall  not  stand  upon  satisfaction.  I  have  received 
a  ransom,  and  do  only  expect  your  acceptance.  I 
shall  not  insist  upon  perfection.  Walk  before  me, 
and  be  upright,  and  sincerity  shall  carry  the  crown. 
Yea,  both  the  faith  and  obedience  that  I  require  of 
you  are  my  own  gifts.  I  require  you  to  accept  my 
Son  by  believing;  but  I  will  give  you  a  hand  to  take 
him,  and  to  submit  to,  and  obey  him;  and  I  must 
and  will  guide  your  hand  to  write  after  him,  and 
cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes.  I  will  take  you 
by  the  arms,  and  teach  you  to  go;  I  will  order  your 
steps.  Yea,  those  things  will  I  accept  of  you  as  the 
conditions  of  life,  which,  viewed  in  the  strictness  of 
my  justice,  would  deserve  eternal  death.  Grace ! 
Grace ! 

THE   VOICE   OF  THE   REDEEMED. 

Amen,  hallelujah.  Be  it  to  thy  servants  accord- 
ing to  thy  word.  But  who  are  we,  and  what  is  our 
Father's  house,  that  thou  hast  brought  us  hitherto  ? 
And  now,  0  Lord  God,  what  shall  thy  servants  say 
unto  thee  ?  for  we  are  silenced  with  wonder,  and  must 
sit  down  in  astonishment,  for  we  cannot  utter  the 
least  tittle  of  thy  praises.  "What  meaneth  the  height 
of  this  strange  love?  And  whence  is  this  unto  us, 


RICHES  OF  THE  COVENANT.  303 

that  the  Lord  of  heaven  and  earth  should  condescend 
to  enter  into  covenant  with  his  dust,  and  take  into 
his  bosom  the  viperous  brood  that  have  so  often  spit 
their  venom  in  his  face  ?  "We  are  not  worthy  to  be  as 
the  handmaids,  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  servants  of 
our  Lord ;  how  much  less  to  be  thy  sons  and  heirs, 
and  to  be  made  partakers  of  all  these  blessed  liberties 
and  privileges  which  thou  hast  settled  upon  us  !  But 
for  thy  goodness'  sake,  and  according  to  thine  own 
heart,  hast  thou  done  all  these  great  tilings.  Even 
so,  Father,  because  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight. 

Wherefore  thou  art  great,  0  God,  for  there  is  none 
like  thee,  neither  is  there  any  God  besides  thee.  And 
what  nation  on  earth  is  like  thy  people,  whom  God 
went  to  redeem  for  a  people  to  himself,  and  to  make 
him  a  name,  and  to  do  for  them  great  things  and  ter- 
rible ?  For  thou  hast  confirmed  them  to  thyself,  to  be 
a  people  unto  thee  for  ever,  and  thou,  Lord,  art  be- 
come their  God,  even  unto  the  end. 

"Wonder,  0  heavens,  and  be  moved,  0  earth,  at 
this  great  thing !  For  behold,  the  tabernacle  of  God 
is  with  men,  and  he  will  dwell  with  them,  and  they 
shall  be  his  people,  and  God  himself  shall  be  with 
them,  and  be  their  God.  Be  astonished  and  ravished 
with  wonder,  for  the  infinite  breach  is  made  up;  the 
offender  is  received,  God  and  man  reconciled,  and  a 
covenant  of  peace  entered,  and  heaven  and  earth  are 
all  agreed  upon  the  terms,  and  have  struck  their  hands 
and  sealed  the  indentures.  0  happy  conclusion !  0 
blessed  conjunction !  Shall  the  stars  dwell  with  the 
dust,  or  the  wide  distant  poles  be  brought  to  mutual 


304  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

embraces  ?  But  here  the  distance  of  the  terms  is  infi- 
nitely greater.  Rejoice,  0  angels  ;  shout,  0  seraphim ; 
0,  all  ye  friends  of  the  Bridegroom,  prepare  an  epitha- 
lamium,  he  ready  with  the  marriage-song.  Lo,  here 
is  the  wonder  of  wonders  ;  for  Jehovah  hath  betrothed 
himself  for  ever  to  his  hopeless  captives,  and  owns  the 
marriage  before  all  the  world,  and  is  become  one  with 
us  and  we  with  him.  He  hath  bequeathed  to  us  the 
precious  things  of  heaven  above,  and  the  precious 
things  of  the  earth  beneath,  with  the  fulness  thereof, 
and  hath  kept  back  nothing  from  us. 

And  now,  0  Lord,  thou  art  that  G-od,  and  thy 
words  are  true,  and  thou  hast  promised  this  goodness 
unto  thy  servants,  and  hast  left  us  nothing  to  ask  at 
thy  hands  but  what  thou  hast  already  freely  granted. 
Only  the  word  which  thou  hast  spoken  concerning 
thy  servants,  establish  it  for  ever,  and  do  as  thou  hast 
said,  and  let  thy  name  be  magnified  for  ever,  saying, 
The  Lord  of  hosts,  he  is  the  God  of  Israel.  Amen. 
Hallelujah. 


TRIUM.PH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  305 


CHAPTER  XV. 

TRIUMPH  IN    THE    COVENANT. 

THE  VARIOUS   CONFLICTS  AND   GLORIOUS   CONQUESTS  OF 
FAITH    OVER    UNBELIEF.* 

Yea,  hath  God  said,  I  will  be  a  God  unto  thee  ? 
Is  i<"  true  indeed  ?  Will  the  Lord  be  mine  ?  "Will  ho 
lay  aside  the  controversy,  and  conclude  a  peace  ? 
"Will  he  receive  the  rebel  to  mercy,  and  open  his  doors 
to  his  prodigal  ?  I  will  surely  go  unto  my  Father;  I 
will  take  unto  me  words,  and  bow  myself  before  his 
footstool,  and  say,  0  Lord,  I  have  heard  thy  words, 
and  do  here  lay  hold  on  thy  covenant.  I  accept  the 
kindness  of  God,  and  will  adventure  myself  upon  thy 
fidelity,  and  trust  my  whole  happiness  here  and  here- 
after upon  these  thy  promises. 

Farewell,  deceitful  world,  get  thee  under  my  feet. 
Too  long  have  I  feared  thy  vain  threats ;  too  long 
have  I  been  deluded  with  thy  flattering  promises. 
Canst  thou  promise  me,  or  deny  me  such  things  as 
God  hath  covenanted  to  give  me  ?  I  know  thou  canst 
not,  and  therefore  I  renounce  thee  for  ever  from  being 
the  object  of  my  faith,  or  fear.  No  longer  will  I  lean 
to  this  rotten  reed,  no  longer  will  I  trust  to  this  broken 
idol.  Away,  Satan,  with  thy  tempting  baits.  In 
vain  dost  thou  dress  the  harlot  in  her  paint  and  brav- 

*  By  Rev.  Joseph  Alleine. 


30G  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ery;  and  tell  me,  All  this  will  I  give  thee.  Canst 
thou  show  me  such  a  crown,  such  a  kingdom  as  (rod 
has  promised  to  settle  upon  me ;  or  that  which  will 
balance  the  loss  of  an  infinite  God,  who  here  gives 
himself  unto  me  ?  Away,  deceitful  lusts  and  pleas- 
ures, get  you  hence  ;  I  have  enough  in  Christ  and  his 
promise  to  give  my  soul  full  content ;  these  have  I 
lodged  in  my  heart,  and  there  is  no  longer  room  for 
such  guests  as  you.  Never  shall  you  have  quiet  enter- 
tainment more  within  these  doors. 

Thou  God  of  truth,  I  here  take  thee  at  thy  word  ; 
thou  requirest  hut  my  acceptance  and  consent,  and 
here  thou  hast  it.  Good  is  the  word  of  the  Lord 
which  he  hath  spoken,  and  as  my  Lord  hath  said,  so 
will  thy  servant  do.  My  soul  catcheth  hold  of  thy 
promises.  These  have  I  taken  as  my  heritage  for 
ever.  Let  others  gain  the  preferments  and  possessions 
of  this  world,  it  shall  he  enough  for  me  to  be  an  heir 
of  thy  promises. 

0  happy  soul,  how  rich  art  thou !  What  a  booty 
have  I  gotten  !  It  is  all  mine  own.  I  have  the  prom- 
ises of  this  life  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.  0  what 
can  I  wish  more  ?  How  full  a  charter  is  here  !  Now 
my  doubting  soul  may  boldly  and  believingly  say 
with  Thomas,  My  Lord,  and  my  God.  What  need 
we  any  further  witness  ?  We  have  heard  his  words. 
He  hath  sworn  by  his  holiness  that  his  decree  may 
not  be  changed,  and  hath  signed  it  with  Ins  own 
signet. 

Rejoice,  ye  heavens ;  strike  up,  ye  celestial  choirs. 
Help,  heaven  and  earth.     Sing  unto  the  Lord,  0  ye 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE   COVENANT.  307 

saints  of  his.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul.  0  had  I 
the  tongues  of  men  and  angels,  all  were  too  little  for 
me.  Had  I  ten  thousand  tongues,  the  whole  were  not 
sufficient  to  utter  my  Creator's  praises. 

My  Beloved  is  mine,  and  I  am  his.  The  grant  is 
clear,  and  my  claim  is  firm.  Who  durst  deny  it, 
when  God  himself  doth  own  it  ?  Is  it  a  hard  adven- 
ture to  speak  after  Christ  himself?  Why,  this  is  the 
message  that  he  hath  sent  me  :  I  ascend  to  my  Fa- 
ther and  your  Father,  my  God  and  your  God.  He 
hath  put  words  into  my  mouth,  and  bid  me  say,  Our 
Father. 

I  believe ;  Lord,  help  my  unbelief.  0  my  God, 
and  my  Father,  I  accept  thee  with  all  humble  thank- 
fulness, and  am  bold  to  take  hold  of  thee.  0  my 
King  and  my  God,  I  subject  my  soul  and  all  its  pow- 
ers to  thee.  •  0  my  glory,  in  thee  will  I  boast  all  the 
day.  0  my  rock,  on  thee  will  I  build  all  my  confi- 
dence and  my  hopes.  0  staff  of  my  life,  and  strength 
of  my  heart,  the  life  of  my  joys  and  joy  of  my  life, 
I  will  sit  and  sing  under  thy  shadow,  and  glory  in  thy 
holy  name. 

0  my  soul,  arise  and  take  possession.  Inherit 
thy  blessedness,  and  cast  up  thy  riches.  Thine  is 
the  kingdom,  thine  is  the  glory,  and  thine  is  the  vic- 
tory. The  whole  Trinity  is  thine.  All  the  persons 
in  the  Godhead,  all  the  attributes  in  the  Godhead 
are  thine.  And  behold,  here  is  the  evidence,  and 
these  are  the  writings,  by  which  all  is  made  sure  to 
thee  for  ever. 

And  now,  Return  to  thy  rest,  0  my  soul ;  for  the 


308  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee.  Say  if  thy 
lines  be  not  fallen  to  thee  in  a  pleasant  place,  and  if 
this  be  not  a  goodly  heritage.  0  blasphemous  discon- 
tent, how  absurd  and  unreasonable  an  evil  art  thou, 
whom  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  cannot  satisfy, 
because  thou  art  denied  in  a  petty  comfort,  or  crossed 
in  thy  vain  expectations  from  the  world  !  0  my  un- 
thankful soul,  shall  not  a  Trinity  content  thee  ;  shall 
not  all-sufficiency  suffice  thee  ?  Silence,  ye  mur- 
muring thoughts,  for  ever.  I  have  enough,  I  abound, 
and  am  full.  Infiniteness  and  eternity  are  mine,  and 
what  more  can  I  ask  ? 

But  methinks  I  feel  some  secret  damps  upon  my 
joy,  and  when  I  would  soar  aloft  and  triumph  in  the 
riches  of  my  portion,  a  secret  diffidence  plucks  me 
back,  as  the  string  doth  the  bird,  and  unbelief  whis- 
pers in  my  ear, 

1.  "Surely  this  is  too  good  to  be  true."  But  who 
art  thou  that  disputest  against  God  ?  The  Lord  hath 
spoken  it,  and  shall  not  I  believe  him  ?  "Will  he  be 
angry  if  I  give  my  assent,  and  speak  it  confidently 
upon  the  credit  of  his  words  ?  0  my  Lord,  suffer  me 
to  spread  the  writing  before  thee.  Hast  thou  not 
said,  Thy  Maker  is  thy  husband,  Isa.  54 :  5 ;  I  will 
betroth  thee  unto  me,  Hosea  2  :  19 ;  Thou  shalt  call 
me,  my  Father  ?  Jer.  3  :  19.  I  pray  thee,  0  Lord, 
was  not  this  thy  saying :  I  am  God,  even  thy  God, 
Psalm  50 : 7 ;  I  will  be  a  Father  unto  you,  and  ye 
my  sons  and  daughters  ?  2  Cor.  6  :  18.  Why  then 
should  I  doubt  ?  Is  not  the  truth  of  the  living  God 
sure  footing  for  my  faith  ? 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  309 

Silence  then,  0  quarrelling  unbelief.  I  know  in 
whom  I  have  believed.  Not  in  friends,  though  nu- 
merous and  potent ;  for  they  are  men,  and  not  God. 
Not  in  riches  ;  for  they  make  themselves  wi;  gs.  Not 
in  princes ;  for  their  breath  is  in  their  nostrils.  But 
let  God  be  true,  and  every  man  a  liar.  In  God  have 
I  put  my  trust,  in  his  word  do  I  hope.  0  sure  word ! 
Heaven  and  earth  shall  pass  away,  but  not  one  jot  or 
tittle  of  this :  I  have  not  built  upon  the  sand  of  mor- 
tality. Let  the  rain  descend,  and  the  floods  come, 
and  the  winds  blow,  nevertheless  the  foundation  of 
God  standeth  sure.  His  everlasting  counsel  and  ever- 
lasting covenant  are  my  stay.  I  am  built  upon  his 
promises,  and  let  hell  and  earth  do  their  worst  to  blow 
up  this  foundation. 

Now  shall  my  faith  triumph,  and  my  heart  be  glad, 
and  my  glory  rejoice.  I  will  shout  with  the  exulting 
multitude.  The  Lord  he  is  the  God,  and  he  is  not 
ashamed  to  be  called  my  God.  He  is  not  ashamed 
of  my  rags  or  poverty,  of  my  parentage  or  pedigree ; 
and  since  his  infinite  condescension  will  own  me, 
will  he  take  it  ill  if  I  own  him?  Though  I  havo 
nothing  of  my  own  to  glory  in,  unless  I  should  glory 
in  my  shame,  yet  I  will  glory  in  the  Lord,  and  bless 
myself  in  him. 

For  who  is  like  unto  the  God  of  Jeshurun  ?  Bring 
forth  your  gods,  0  ye  nations.  Lift  up  your  eyes, 
and  behold  who  hath  created  all  these  things.  Can 
any  do  for  their  friends  as  the  Lord  can  ?  Or  if  he 
be  angry,  who  is  the  god  that  shall  deliver  out  of  his 
hands  ?    Will  you  set  Dagon  before  the  ark  ?    Or  shall 


310  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

mammon  contend  with  the  holy  One  ?  0  ambitious 
Haman,  where  is  now  thine  idol  honor  ?  0  rich 
glutton,  that  madest  a  god  of  pleasure,  where  is  now 
the  god  whom  thou  hast  served  ?  0  sensual  world- 
ling, that  knewest  not  where  or  how  to  bestow  thy 
gwds,  do  riches  profit  thee  ?  Could  mammon  save 
thee  ?  Deceived  souls,  go  now  to  the  gods  that  you 
have  chosen.  Alas,  they  cannot  administer  a  drop  of 
water  to  cool  your  tongues. 

But  the  Portion  of  Jacob  is  not  like  them.  From 
everla'sting  to  everlasting  he  is  God.  His  power  is 
my  confidence,  his  goodness  is  my  maintenance,  his 
truth  is  my  shield  and  my  buckler.     But, 

2.  "  My  clamorous  unbelief  hath  many  wiles,  and 
afresh  assaults  me  with  the  difficulty  of  the  things 
promised,  and  labors  to  nonplus  and  confound  me  with 
their  amazing'  greatness."  But  why  should  I  stagger 
at  the  promise  through  unbelief,  robbing  at  once  my 
Master  of  his  glory,  and  my  soul  of  her  comfort  ?  It 
is  my  great  sin  to  doubt  and  dispute,  and  shall  I  be 
afraid  to  believe  ?  0  my  soul,  it  is  the  highest  honor 
thou  canst  put  upon  thy  Lord,  to  believe  against  diffi- 
culties, and  to  look  for  and  reckon  upon  great  things 
and  wonderful,  passing  all  created  power  and  human 
faith. 

Let  not  the  greatness  nor  the  strangeness  of  the 
benefits  bequeathed  unto  thee,  put  thee  to  a  stand. 
If  is  with  a  God  thou  hast  to  do,  and  therefore  thou 
must  not  look  for  little  things;  that  were  to  darken 
the  glory  of  his  munificence,  and  the  infiniteness  of 
his  power  and  goodness.     Knowest  thou  not  that  it  is 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  311 

his  design  to  make  his  name  glorious ;  and  to  make 
thee  know  he  is  able  to  do  for  thee  above  all  thou 
canst  ask  or  think  ?  Surely  they  cannot  be  any  small 
or  ordinary  things  that  shall  be  done  for  theo,  when 
the  Lord  shall  show  in  thee  what  a  God  can  do,  and 
shall  carry  thee  in  triumph  before  the  world,  and  make 
proclamation  before  thee,  Thus  shall  it  be  done  to  the 
man  whom  the  Lord  delighteth  to  honor.  "What  won- 
der if  thou  canst  not  comprehend  these  things — if  they 
exceed  all  thy  apprehensions  and  conceptions  ?  This 
is  a  good  argument  for  thy  faith ;  for  this  is  that 
which  the  Lord  hath  said,  that  it  hath  not  entered 
into  the  heart  of  man  to  conceive  what  things  he  hath 
prepared  for  them  that  love  him.  Now  if  thou  couldst 
conceive  and  comprehend  them,  how  should  his  word 
be  made  good  ?  It  is  enough  for  thee  that  the  Lord 
hath  spoken  it.  Is  not  the  word  nigh  thee  ?  Hath 
God  said,  I  will  receive  you ;  you  shall  be  kings  and 
priests  unto  God,  and  inherit  all  things  ;  and  shall  sit 
•on  thrones,  and  judge  angels,  and  be  ever  with  the 
Lord  :  and  shall  I  dare  to  say  him  nay  ?  Unreason- 
able unbelief !  What,  never  satisfied ;  still  contra- 
dicting and  blaspheming  ?  False  whisperer,  no  more 
of  thy  tales.  I  believe  God,  that  it  shall  be  as  he  hath 
told  me. 

And  now,  thanks  be  to  God,  who  always  causest 
us  to  triumph  in  Christ;  therefore  my  lips  shall  praise 
thee,  and  my  soul  which  thou  hast  redeemed.  For 
thou  hast  made  me  glad  through  thy  word,  and  I  will 
triumph  in  the  works  of  thy  hands.  I  will  praise  the 
Lord  while  I  live.     I  will  sing  praises  to  my  God 


312  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

while  I  have  any  being.  0  my  soul,  if  thou  couldst 
wear  out  thy  fingers  upon  the  harp,  and  wear  thy 
tongue  to  the  roots,  thou  couldst  yet  never  sufficiently 
praise  thy  Redeemer. 

0  my  enemies,  where  is  now  your  confidence,  and 
where  is  your  armor  wherein  you  trusted  ?  I  will  set 
Christ  alone  against  all  your  multitudes,  and  all  the 
power  and  malice  and  policy  wherewith  they  are 
armed.  The  field  is  already  won,  and  the  Captain  of 
our  salvation  returned  with  the  spoils  of  his  enemies, 
having  made  a  show  of  them  openly,  triumphing  over 
them  in  his  cross.  And  thanks  be  to  God  who  hath 
given  us  the  victory,  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

Of  whom,  then,  should  I  be  afraid  ?  Behold  he  is 
near  that  justifieth  me;  who  shall  plead  with  me? 

0  ye  powers  of  hell,  you  are  but  chained  captives, 
and  we  have  a  sure  word,  that  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  us.  Though  the  world  be  in  arms 
against  us,  and  the  devil  at  the  head  of  them  as  their 
champion,  yet  who  is  this  uncircumcised  Philistine, 
that  he  should  defy  the  armies  of  the  living  God  ? 
Behold,  I  am  come  out  to  thee,  as  the  stripling  against 
Goliath ;  not  with  sword,  and  with  spear,  but  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord  of  hosts,  in  whose  strength  I  am 
more  than  a  conqueror. 

0  grave,  where  is  now  thy  victory  ?  Christ  is  risen, 
and  hath  broken  up  thy  prison,  and  rolled  away  the 
stone,  so  that  all  thy  prisoners  have  made  an  escape. 
Rejoice  not  against  me,  0  mine  enemy;  though  I 
fall,  I  shall  rise  again;  though  I  lie  in  darkness,  the 
Lord  shall  be  a  light  unto  me.     Enlarge  not  thy  de- 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  313 

sires,  0  Tophet,  but  shut  up  thy  flaming  mouth;  for 
there  is  now  no  condemnation  to  them  that  are  in 
Christ  Jesus. 

0  deceitful  world,  thou  art  already  overcome,  and 
the  conquered  enemy  is  become  my  servant,  and  I 
am  fed  with  the  honey  taken  out  of  the  carcass  of  the 
slain  lion.  I  fear  not  thy  threats,  nor  the  enchant- 
ments of  thy  syren  songs,  being  kept  by  the  power  of 
God,  through  a  victorious  faith  unto  salvation. 

0  my  sins,  you  are  already  buried,  never  to  have 
any  resurrection,  and  the  remembrance  of  you  shall 
be  no  more.  I  see  my  sins  nailed  to  the  cross,  and 
their  dominion  is  taken  away,  though  their  lives  be 
prolonged  yet  for  a  little  season.  Awake,  therefore, 
0  my  glory;  awake,  psaltery  and  harp,  and  meet  the 
Deliverer  with  triumph;  for  his  right  hand  and  his 
holy  arm  have  gotten  us  the  victory,  and  all  the  ends 
of  the  earth  have  seen  the  salvation  of  our  God. 

3.  "Yet  methinks  my  unworthiness  flies  in  my  face, 
and  I  hear  my  cavilling  unbelief  thus  upbraiding  me, 
and  crying  out,  '  0  proud  presumption,  that  thou  who 
art  conscious  to  thyself  of  thy  great  unworthiness, 
shouldst  pretend  a  claim  to  God -and  glory!  Shall 
daring  dust  think  to  share  with  *hc  Almighty,  and 
say  of  his  endless  perfections,  They  are  my  right  ? 
Bold  sinner,  stand  off,  and  tremble  at  thy  presump- 
tuous arrogance.'  " 

0  my  God,  I  lay  my  hand  upon  my  mouth.  I 
confess  the  charge  of  mine  unworthiness.  My  guilt 
and  shame  is  such  as  I  cannot  cover,  but  thou  canst, 
and  dost.     Thou  hast  cast  a  mantle  upon  my  naked- 

H«aven  Opened.  1  4 


314  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

ness,  and  hast  promised  my  transgressions  shall  not 
be  mentioned,  and  that  thou  wilt  multiply  pardons. 
And  shall  I  take  up  what  thou  hast  buried,  and  then 
affright  myself  with  the  ghosts  that  unbelief  has 
raised  ?  Is  it  presumption  to  take  the  pardon  that 
thou  dost  offer,  or  to  receive  and  claim  thee  as  mine, 
when  it  is  but  what  thou  hast  promised  ?  I  durst  not 
have  approached  thee,  "but  upon  thy  call;  nor  have 
claimed  a  title,  but  upon  thy  grant.  I  should  have 
thought  it  diabolical  pride,  to  have  pleaded  an  interest 
in  thee,  and  claimed  kindred  to  thee,  but  that  thou 
hast  showed  me  the  way. 

And  thou,  my  soul,  art  thou  ignorant  of  God's 
great  design  ?  Knowest  thou  not  that  it  is  his  purpose 
to  glorify  free  grace?  And  how  should  grace  appear 
to  be  grace  indeed,  were  there  any  worthiness  in  the 
subject  ?  Thine  unworthiness  is  but  a  foil  to  set  off 
the  beauty  and  riches  of  free  grace  and  mercy. 

4.  "But  I  cannot  shake  off  this  brier:  alas,  what  a 
cavilling  sophister  is  unbelief,  and  will  never  be  an- 
swered. Now  is  it  ready  to  tell  me,  what  if  the 
promise  should  be  a  sure  foundation,  yet  thou  mayest 
not  build  upon  another  man's  ground.  What  though 
the  grace  and  mercies  of  God  are  infinite,  yet  dogs 
may  not  catch  at  the  children's  bread.  Thou  hast  no 
right  nor  title  to  the  promise,  therefore  cease  thy 
pretended  claim." 

But,  0  my  soul,  wherefore  should st  thou  doubt? 
"Whose  image  and  superscription  is  this  ?  Dost  thou 
not  bear  upon  thee  the  marks  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ?  I 
have  given  up  my  name  to  him,  and  taken  hold  of 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  315 

his  covenant,  and  therefore  may  claim  an  interest.  I 
have  accepted  the  matter,  and  closed  with  the  Media- 
tor, and  subscribed  to  the  conditions  of  the  covenant, 
and  therefore  cannot  question  but  it  is  mine.  The 
Lord  hath  offered  to  be  my  Clod,  and  I  have  taken 
hold  of  his  offer.  I  have  taken  him  as  God,  and  given 
him  the  supremacy.  0  my  soul,  look  round  about 
thee,  in  heaven  and  in  earth;  is  there  any  thou  dost 
esteem  or  value  in  comparison  with  God?  Is  there 
any  thou  dost  love  like  him,  or  take  that  content  or 
felicity  in,  that  thou  dost  in  him?  Are  not  thy  chief 
desires  and  designs  to  glorify  and  enjoy  him?  Thou 
canst  not  deny  but  it  is  truly  thus.  I  am  sure  noth- 
ing but  God  will  content  me.  I  am  never  so  well  in 
all  the  world  as  in  his  company.  My  soul  seeketh 
him  above  all,  and  rests  in  him  alone  as  my  satisfac- 
tory portion.  He  olfereth  to  take  me  as  one  of  his 
people,  and  I  have  resigned  myself  accordingly  to  him 
as  his,  and  have  put  both  my  inward  and  outward 
man  under  his  government,  and  given  up  all  to  his 
disposal,  and  am  resolved  to  be  content  with  him,  as 
my  all-sufficient  happiness. 

Besides,  I  have  taken  him  in  Ins  own  way  through 
Christ,  whom  he  hath  tendered  to  me  as  my  head  and 
husband,  and  I  have  accordingly  solemnly  and  delib- 
erately taken  him.  0  my  soul,  dost  not  thou  remem- 
ber thy  many  debates  ?  Hast  thou  not  put  Christ  and 
all  the  world  into  the  balance  ?  Hast  thou  not  cast  up 
the  cost,  and  reckoned  upon  the  cross,  and  willingly 
put  thy  neck  under  Christ's  yoke,  and  ventured  thy 
salvation  upon  Christ  alone,  and  trusted  him  with  all 


316  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

thy  happiness  and  all  thy  hopes  ?  Hast  thou  not  over 
and  over  resolved  to  take  him  with  what  comes,  and 
that  he  shall  be  enough,  though  in  the  loss  of  all 
things  ?  Thou  canst  not  but  know  that  these  have 
been  the  transactions  between  Christ  and  thee;  and 
therefore  he  is  thine,  and  all  the  promises  are  yea  and 
amen  to  thee  through  him. 

And  for  the  terms  of  the  covenant,  I  love  and  like 
them;  my  soul  embraceth  them;  neither  do  I  desire 
to  be  saved  in  any  other  way,  than  by  repentance 
towards  God,  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  sincere  obedience  to  his  gospel.  I  am  willing  to 
go  out  of  my  flesh,  and  do  look  unto  Jesus  for  right- 
eousness and  strength,  and  trust  my  salvation  wholly 
on  this  foundation.  I  am  content  to  deal  upon  trust, 
and  venture  all  in  the  hope  of  what  is  to  come,  and 
to  tarry  till  the  next  world  for  my  preferment.  I  am 
willing  to  wait  till  the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  have  laid  up  my  happiness  on  the  other 
side  the  grave. 

And  though  my  sins  be  many,  yet  I  should  belie 
my  own  knowledge  if  I  should  say  they  were  not  my 
constant  trouble  and  burden,  and  the  enemies  against 
which  I  daily  watch,  and  with  whom  my  soul  hath 
no  peace.  My  own  heart  knoweth  that  I  hate  them, 
and  desire  and  endeavor  their  utter  destruction,  and 
do  resolve  against  them  all,  and  am  willing  to  use  all 
God's  means  to  mortify  them.  It  is  too  true  that  I 
often  fall  and  fail;  yet  my  conscience  beareth  me 
witness  that  I  confess  and  bewail  it,  and  do  not  ordi- 
narily and  deliberately  allow  myself  in  any  sin  what- 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  317 

soever  against  my  knowledge.  And  though  my  obe- 
dience be  miserably  lame,  yet,  0  Lord,  thou  knowest 
that  I  have  respect  unto  all  thy  commandments,  and 
do  strive  to  come  up  to  what  thou  requirest.  The 
Holy  Ghost  is  witness,  and  my  conscience  also,  that 
I  first  seek  the  kingdom  of  God  and  the  righteousness 
thereof,  and  that  it  is  my  chief  care  to  please  God, 
and  keep  from  sin.  Speak,  0  my  soul,  is  not  holi- 
ness thy  design  ?  Dost  thou  not  thirst  for  it,  and  fol- 
low after  it?  Dost  thou  not  in  thy  settled  choice 
prefer  the  holy  ways  of  God  before  all  the  pleasures 
and  delights  of  sin  ?  Thou  knowest  it  is  thus,  and 
therefore  no  more  disputing;  thou  hast  sincerely  taken 
hold  of  God's  covenant,  and  without  controversy  it 
must  be  thine. 

0  my  God,  I  see  thou  hast  been  at  work  with  my 
soul.  I  find  the  prints,  I  see  the  footsteps.  Surely 
this  is  the  finger  of  God.  I  am  thy  servant,  0  Lord, 
truly  I  am  thy  servant,  and  my  soul  hath  said  unto 
the  Lord,  Thou  art  my  Lord.  It  must  be  so.  Wouldst 
thou  ever  set  thy  mark  upon  another's  goods  ?  Or 
shall  God  disown  his  own  workmanship  ?  My  name 
is  written  in  heaven.  Thou  hast  written  thy  name 
upon  my  heart,  and  therefore  I  cannot  question  but 
thou  hast  my  name  on  thy  heart.  I  have  chosen 
thee,  0  Lord,  as  my  happiness  and  heritage,  and 
therefore  I  am  sure  thou  hast  chosen  me;  for  I  could 
not  have  loved  thee,  except  thou  hadst  loved  me  first. 
0  my  Lord,  discern,  I  pray  thee,  whose  are  these,  the 
signet,  the  bracelets,  and  the  staff.  I  know  thou  wilt 
acknowledge  them. 


318  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

And  now  blessed  be  God,  and  the  Father  of  onr 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  of  his  abundant  mercy  hath 

BEGOTTEN  ME   AGAIN  TO   A  LIVELY  HOPE. 

And  thou,  my  soul,  believe  and  wait,  look  through 
the  window,  and  cry  through  the  lattice,  and  rejoice 
in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God.  The  vision  is  for 
an  appointed  time ;  wait  for  it.  It  will  come  in  the 
end,  and  will  not  tarry.  Hab.  2  :  3.  Behold,  the 
husbandman  waiteth  for  the  precious  fruits  of  the 
earth.  Be  thou  also  patient.  He  hath  long  patience, 
and  wilt  not  thou  have  a  little  patience  ?  He,  for  the 
fruits  of  the  earth ;  but  thou,  for  the  joys  of  heaven. 
He,  upon  mere  probabilities;  but  thou,  upon  infallible 
certainties.  He,  for  a  crop  of  corn ;  but  thou,  for  a 
crown  of  glory.  Were  he  but  sure  that  every  corn 
would  bear  a  crown,  how  plentifully  would  he  sow, 
how  joyfully  would  he  wait !  Why,  such  is  thy  har- 
vest. As  sure  as  the  summer's  delights  do  follow  the 
winter's  severities — as  sure  as  the  wished- for  harvest 
doth  follow  the  toilsome  and  costly  seed-time,  so  sure 
shall  thy  Lord  return,  and  bring  thy  reward  with 
him.  Therefore,  my  soul,  love  and  long  for  the  ap- 
proaching jubilee,  and  wait  all  the  days  ol  my  appoint- 
ed time,  until  my  change  shall  come. 

0  blessed  state  that  my  Lord  hath  translated  me  into ; 
0  happy  change  that  he  hath  made  !  I  was  a  stranger, 
and  he  took  me  in  and  made  me  an  heir,  and  preferred 
me  from  the  dunghill  to  the  throne,  and  from  a  hewer 
of  wood  and  drawer  of  water  to  attend  his  court,  and 
know  his  counsels,  and  do  his  pleasure.  Happy  am  I 
that  ever  I  was  born  to  partake  of  this  endless  dignity. 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE   COVENANT.  319 

0  my  Lord,  it  is  no  little  thing  thou  hast  given 
me  in  hand.  I  am  already  come  to  mount  Zion,  and 
the  city  of  the  living  God,  the  heavenly  Jerusalem, 
and  to  an  innumerable  company  of  angels,  to  the 
general  assembly  and  church  of  the  first-born,  and  to 
God  the  Judge  of  all,  and  unto  the  spirits  of  just  men. 
made  perfect,  and  unto  Jesus  the  Mediator  of  the  new 
covenant,  and  unto  the  blood  of  sprinkling.  My  heart 
reviveth  as  Jacob's,  when  I  behold  the  tokens  which 
thou  hast  sent  me.  the  spirit  of  adoption,  the  pardon 
of  my  sins,  my  patent  for  heaven,  the  chain  of  thy 
graces,  the  Son  of  thy  bosom,  the  new  testament  in 
his  blood,  and  the  letters  of  his  love.  My  Lord  hath 
said  that  he  will  love  me,  and  manifest  himself  unto 
me;  and  that  the  Father  will  love  me,  and  both  will 
come  unto  me,  and  make  their  abode  in  me.  But  is 
it  true  indeed?  Will  the  Lord  dwell  on  earth?  Or 
if  he  will,  shall  so  foul  a  stable,  so  unclean  a  place  as 
my  heart  hath  been,  shall  this  be  the  place  that  the 
Lord  of  life  will  take  up  his  lodging  and  keep  his 
court  in  ?  Will  he  indeed  come  with  all  his  train  of 
graces,  and  live  and  walk  in  me  ?  How  can  these 
things  be  ?  But  he  hath  said  it,  and  I  do,  and  I  will 
believe  it. 

Yet  all  this  is  but  the  earnest  of  what  is  to  come. 
0  how  great  is  thy  goodness  laid  up  for  them  that 
fear  thee !  Yet  a  little,  and  my  warfare  shall  be 
accomplished,  and  the  heavens  must  receive  me  till 
the  time  of  the  restitution  of  all  things.  It  is  but  for 
a  short  term  that  I  shall  dwell  in  this  flesh,  in  an 
earthen  tabernacle.     My  Lord  hath  showed  me,  that 


320  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

where  he  is,  there  shall  his  servant  he.  Now  the 
living  is  tied  to  the  dead,  and  my  soul  is  a  stage  of 
strife  and  a  field  of  war.  Yet,  it  is  but  a  little  mo- 
ment, and  that  which  is  perfect  shall  come :  perfect 
holiness  and  perfect  peace,  eternal  serenity  and  a  se- 
rene eternity. 

0  my  sins,  I  am  going  where  you  cannot  come — 
where  no  unclean  thing  shall  enter,  nor  any  thing 
that  defileth.  Methinks  I  see  all  my  afflictions  and 
temptations,  all  my  infirmities  and  corruptions,  falling 
off  me,  as  Elijah's  mantle  at  his  translation. 

0  my  soul,  dost  thou  not  see  the  chariots  of  fire, 
and  the  horses  of  fire,  come  to  take  thee  up  ?  Be  thou 
as  poor  as  Lazarus,  yet  (rod  will  not  disdain  to  send 
a  party  of  angels  to  conduct  thee  home.  How  canst 
thou  doubt  of  a  ready  reception,  that  hast  such  a 
Friend  in  court,  who  will  lead  thee  with  boldness  into 
his  Father's  presence  ?  If  there  was  joy  in  Pharaoh's 
court  when  it  was  said,  Joseph's  brethren  are  come, 
surely  it  will  be  welcome  news  in  heaven,  when  it  is 
told,  Jesus'  brethren  are  come. 

My  soul,  fear  not  to  enter,  though  the  Lord  be 
clothed  with  terror  and  majesty;  for  thy  Redeemer 
will  procure  thee  favor,  and  plead  thy  right.  I  am 
sure  of  welcome,  for  the  Father  himself  loveth  me.  I 
have  tasted  and  tried  Ins  love ;  and  when  I  had  played 
the  wicked  prodigal,  yet  he  despised  not  my  rags,  but 
fell  on  my  neck  and  kissed  me,  and  heaven  itself 
rejoiced  over  me.  Much  more  will  he  receive  me 
gladly,  and  let  out  his  love  upon  me,  when  presented 
to  him  by  his  Son,  in  his  perfect  likeness,  as  a  fit 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  321 

object  for  his  everlasting  delight.  Fear  not,  0  my 
soul,  as  if  thou  wert  going  to  a  strange  place.  Why, 
heaven  is  thy  country  and  thy  home :  wilt  thou  doubt 
of  admission,  or  fear  of  welcome,  when  it  is  thine  own 
home?  Why,  my  soul,  thou  wast  born  from  above, 
and  here  is  thy  kindred  and  thy  Father's  house,  and 
therefore  thou  shalt  surely  be  admitted.  And  then 
shall  I  see  the  glorious  preparations  of  eternal  love, 
and  the  blissful  mansions  of  the  heavenly  inhabit- 
ants. 

Doubtless  it  will  be  thus.  These  are  not  sick 
men's  dreams,  nor  children's  hopes.  The  living  God 
cannot  deceive  me :  and  may  not  I  certainly  promise 
myself  what  the  Lord  hath  promised  me  ?  I  will 
sooner  think  that  all  my  senses  are  deluded,  and  what 
I  see  and  feel  and  taste  is  but  a  fancy,  than  think 
that  the  living  God  will  deceive  me,  or  that  his  un- 
changeable covenant  will  fail.  Now  I  am  a  son  of 
God,  and  it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  I  shall  be ;  but 
this  I  know,  I  shall  be  like  him,  and  see  him  as 
he  is. 

I  know  it  shall  be  thus.  Why,  what  security 
should  I  ask  of  God?  He  hath  given  me  all  assur- 
ance in  his  word.  And  though  the  word  of  God  be 
enough,  yet  he,  willing  to  show  more  abundantly  to 
the  heirs  of  promise  the  immutability  of  his  counsel, 
confirmed  it  by  an  oath;  that  by  two  immutable 
things,  in  which  it  was  impossible  for  God  to  lie,  I 
might  have  strong  consolation.  0  unreasonable  un- 
belief! What,  shall  not  the  oath  of  God  put  an  end 
to  thy  strife  ?  0  my  God,  I  am  satisfied  ;  it  is  enough. 
14* 


322  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Now  I  may  be  bold  without  presumption,  and  boast 
without  pride ;  and  will  no  more  call  my  duty  arro- 
gance, nor  my  faith  a  fancy. 

0  my  soul,  there  is  but  a  short  life  between  thee 
and  glory,  where  holy  angels  and  glorified  saints  shall 
be  my  associates,  and  love  and  praise  my  only  em- 
ployment. Methinks  I  hear  already  how  the  morning 
stars  sing  together,  and  all  the  sons  of  God  shout  for 
joy.  0  that  I  could  come  in !  But  it  was  said  unto 
me,  that  I  should  rest  yet  for  a  little  season,  and  I 
shall  stand  in  my  lot  at  the  end  of  the  days.  It  is 
well;  Lord,  thy  word  is  enough  ;  thy  bond  is  as  good 
as  ready  payment.  The  Holy  Ghost  tells  me,  that 
life  and  glory  abide  me ;  that  what  day  I  loose  from 
the  body,  the  same  day  I  shall  be  landed  in  paradise. 
Amen.     It  is  as  I  would  have  it. 

But  this  is  not  all.  "When  my  body  hath  slept  a 
short  nap  in  the  dust,  Christ  will  call  to  it,  Come  up 
hither.  Ah,  true  yoke-fellow,  it  will  be  a  hard  part- 
ing, but  a  welcome  meeting.  I  could  not  leave  thee, 
but  to  live  with  Christ.  But  he  will  raise  thee  a 
glorious  temple ;  and  when  he  shall  appear,  will  bring 
me  with  himself  in  glory ;  and  then  I  shall  reenter 
thee  as  a  royal  mansion,  wherein  I  shall  abide  with 
the  Lord  for  ever.  For  as  we  have  served  our  Re- 
deemer together,  so  we  must  be  glorified  together  with 
him.  And  when  the  Lord  hath  married  us  together 
again,  then  will  he  marry  us  both  unto  himself.  For 
I  know  that  my  Redeemer  liveth,  and  that  he  shall 
stand  at  the  last  day  upon  the  earth.  And  though 
after  my  skin,  worms  destroy  this  body,  yet  in  my 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  323 

flesh  I  shall  see  God ;  whom  I  shall  see  for  myself, 
and  mine  eyes  shall  behold,  and  not  another,  though 
my  reins  be  consumed  within  me.  My  Lord  hath 
already  told  me  how  it  shall  be.  He  hath  set  down 
the  time,  and  showed  me  the  robes  of  immortality, 
and  the  crown  of  life,  that  I  must  put  on;  and  the 
throne  of  glory,  and  the  scat  of  judgment  that  I  must 
sit  in.  He  hath  told  me  the  manner  in  which  I  shall 
be  presented  to  him,  and  espoused  by  him.  He  hath 
told  me  where  he  will  set  me,  and  what  he. will  say 
to  me,  and  how  he  will  acknowledge  my  mean 
vices,  and  remember  what  I  have  forgotten;  how  he 
will  praise  the  works  that  I  have  been  ashamed  of, 
and  reward  me  openly  for  what  I  have  buried  in 
secrecy,  and  not  forget  the  poorest  alms  that  I  have 
given  for  his  name.  Then  will  he  confess  me  before 
his  Father,  and  before  the  angels  of  God.  Thus  saitli 
the  true  and  faithful  Witness,  and  we  know  that  his 
testimony  is  true. 

Ah,  my  soul,  see  that  thou  make  not  God  a  liar. 
1  John,  5  :  10.  0  my  God,  I  have  believed  thy 
report,  and  do  look  for  all  these  things,  according  to 
thy  promise.  I  know  thou  intendest  me  but  for  a  very 
little  while  in  this  lower  region.  This  world  is  but 
the  house  of  my  pilgrimage,  and  my  soul  now  is  but 
like  a  bird  in  the  shell;  but  when  the  shell  is  cracked, 
then  shall  she  take  wings  like  a  dove,  and  soar  aloft 
to  thee,  and  fly  away  and  be  at  rest.  Yet  I  doubt 
not  thy  care  for  my  despicable  dust.  I  know  that 
nothing  will  be  lost :  I  know  not  where  they  will  lay 
me ;  but  thy  wakeful  eye  observeth,  and  will  not  havo 


324  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

to  seek  at  what  door  to  knock,  nor  at  what  grave  to 
call  for  me.  I  believe,  and  am  sure  that  I  shall  come 
a  glorious  work  out  of  thy  hands,  fair  as  the  moon, 
clear  as  the  sun,  crowned  with  honor  and  glory.  And 
when  my  absolution  is  read,  and  sentence  passed 
upon  the  world,  then  must  I  be  taken  up  to  dwell 
with  thee. 

Let  not  my  Lord  be  angry,  that  thy  dust  and  ashes 
speaketh  thus  unto  thee.  Thou,  Lord,  hast  raised 
my  expectations,  and  hast  made  me  look  for  all  these 
great  things  from  thee.  In  vain  hast  thou  written  all 
these  things  unto  me,  if  I  should  not  believe  them ; 
and  a  distrustful  diffidence  would  put  a  high  dishonor 
upon  thy  truth. 

0  Lord,  it  repenteth  me — it  repenteth  me  of  my 
jealousies,  and  my  doubtful  thoughts  about  thee.  I 
know  thou  lovest  an  humble  confidence,  and  delight- 
est  in  nothing  more  than  to  see  thy  children  trust 
thee.  I  know  the  building  of  my  hopes  reaches  not 
a  hair's  breadth  beyond  the  foundation  of  thy  prom- 
ises; yea,  it  is  sure,  my  expectations  are  infinitely 
short  of  what  I  shall  find.  0  my  God,  my  heart 
trusteth  safely  in  thee,  and  I  here  set  to  my  seal  that 
thou  art  true.  Christ  is  the  corner-stone  on  which  I 
"build,  and  therefore  my  building  will  challenge  the 
winds  and  floods. 

And  now,  0  Lord,  what  wait  I  for?  my  hope  is 
in  thee.  0  my  Blessedness,  let  me  enjoy  thee.  0  my 
Life,  let  me  possess  thee.  0  Desire  of  mine  eyes,  let 
me  see  thy  face  and  hear  thy  voice ;  for  thy  voice  is 
sweet,  and  thy  countenance  is  comely.     I  ask  but 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  325 

what  thou  hast  promised;  for  thou  hast  told  me  that 
I  shall  see  God,  and  thou  wilt  speak  to  me  mouth  to 
mouth,  even  apparently  and  not  in  dark  speeches, 
and  the  similitude  of  God  shall  I  hehold.  So  shall 
my  knowledge  be  perfected,  and  I  shall  see  the  inac- 
cessible light,  and  my  tender  eye  shall  not  water,  nor 
my  sight  dazzle ;  but  I  shall  with  open  face  look 
steadfastly  on  the  Sun  of  righteousness,  and  behold 
his  glory.  Then  shall  faith  be  turned  into  fruition, 
and  hope  into  possession,  and  love  shall  arise  like  the 
full  moon  in  her  brightness,  and  never  wax  nor  wane 
more. 

0  thou  God  of  my  hopes,  I  look  for  a  new  body, 
and  a  new  soul — for  new  heavens,  and  for  a  new 
earth,  according  to  thy  promise,  when  my  whole 
soul  shall  be  wholly  taken  up  with  thee,  and  all  my 
affections  strained  to  the  highest  pitch,  and  all  the 
wheels  of  my  raised  powers  set  in  most  vigorous  and 
perpetual  motion  towards  thee,  still  letting  in,  and 
still  laying  out;  and  thus  shall  there  be  an  everlast- 
ing communication  of  joy  and  glory  from  thee,  and  of 
love  and  praise  from  me. 

0  my  soul,  thou  art  rich  indeed,  and  increased  in 
goods.  Thou  hast  no  reason  to  envy  the  glory  or 
grandeur  of  the  mightiest  on  earth;  for  their  glory 
shall  not  descend  after  them:  like  sheep  shall  they  be 
laid  in  their  graves,  and  death  shall  feed  upon  them, 
and  there  is  an  eternal  end  of  all  their  pomp  and  ex- 
cellency. But  my  kingdom  is  an  everlasting  king- 
dom. My  robes  shall  never  wear,  my  crown  shall 
never  totter,  my  throne  shall  never  be  vacant,  my 


326  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

bread  shall  never  decay,  my  garland  shall  never 
wither,  my  house  shall  never  moulder,  my  wine  shall 
never  sour,  but  everlasting  joy  shall  be  upon  my  head, 
and  sorrow  and  sighing  shall  fly  away. 

0  my  God,  how  happy  hast  thou  made  me !  It  is 
better  than  I  could  have  wished.  Thou  hast  done  all 
things  well.  Thou  hast  settled  them  for  ever.  The 
whole  earth  cannot  show  any  such  heritage  or  ten- 
ure. The  world  can  deed  out  her  possessions  only  for 
years,  nor  can  she  make  a  good  title  for  that ;  but 
my  inheritance  is  for  ever,  and  none  can  put  me  out 
of  possession.  The  thing  is  established  in  heaven,  and 
in  the  volume  of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me.  My 
evidence  cannot  be  lost;  it  is  recorded  in  the  court 
above,  and  enrolled  in  the  sacred  leaves  of  the  word, 
and  entered  upon  the  book  of  my  conscience,  and 
herein  I  do  and  will  rejoice. 

Now,  my  soul,  wipe  thine  eyes,  and  go  away  like 
Hannah,  and  be  no  more  sad.  "What  though  my 
house  be  not  so  with  Grod ;  so  happy,  so  prosperous  as 
I  could  wish  ?  What  though  they  be  increased  that 
trouble  me,  and  my  temptations  and  afflictions  are 
like  the  rolling  billows,  riding  on  one  another's  backs 
for  haste,  yet  shall  my  soul  be  as  a  rock  unmoved, 
and  sit  down  satisfied  in  the  security  and  amplitude 
of  my  portion.  For  (rod  hath  made  with  me  an  ever- 
lasting covenant,  ordered  in  all  things,  and  sure ;  and 
herein  is  all  my  salvation,  and  all  my  desire. 

And  now,  what  remaineth,  0  Lord,  but  that  I 
should  spend  the  remainder  of  my  days  in  loving, 
praising,  and  admiring  thee  ?    But  wherewithal  shall 


TRIUMPH  IN  THE  COVENANT.  327 

I  come  before  the  Lord,  or  bow  myself  before  the  most 
high  Clod  ?  What  shall  I  give  thee,  to  express  my 
thankfulness,  though  not  to  requite  thy  bounty  ? 
Alas,  my  poor  little  soul ;  alas  that  thou  art  so  little ! 
How  narrow  are  thy  capacities ;  how  disproportion- 
ate are  thy  powers  !  Alas  that  my  voice  can  reach  to 
no  higher  a  note !  But  shall  I  do  nothing,  because  I 
cannot  do  all? 

Lord,  I  resign  my  all  to  thee.  "With  the  poor  wid- 
ow, I  cast  my  two  mites,  my  soul  and  body,  into  thy 
treasury.  All  my  powers  shall  love  and  serve  thee. 
All  my  members  shall  be  weapons  of  righteousness  for 
thee.  Here  is  my  good  will.  Behold,  my  substance 
is  thy  stock,  mine  interest  is  for  thy  service.  I  lay 
all  at  thy  feet:  there,  thou  ha*st  them,  they  are  thine. 
My  children  I  enter  as  thy  servants.  My  possessions 
I  resign  as  thy  right.  I  will  call  nothing  mine  but 
thee.  All  mine  are  thine.  I  can  say,  My  Lord  and 
my  God,  and  that  is  enough;  I  thankfully  quit  my 
claim  to  all  things  else.  I  will  no  more  say,  My 
house  is  mine,  or  my  estate  mine;  I  myself  am  not 
mine  own.  Yet  it  is  infinitely  better  for  me  to  be 
thine,  than  if  I  were  mine  own.  This  is  my  happi- 
ness, that  I  can  say,  My  own  God,  my  own  Father. 
And  0  what  a  blessed  exchange  hast  thou  made  with 
me:  to  give  me  thyself,  who  art  an  infinite  sum,  for 
myself,  who  am  but  an  insignificant  cipher  ! 

And  now,  Lord,  do  thou  accept  and  own  my  claim. 
I  am  not  worthy  of  any  thing  of  thine,  much  less  of 
thee.  But  since  I  have  a  deed  to  show,  I  bring  thy 
word  in  my  hand,  and  am  bold  to  take  possession. 


328  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Dost  thou  not  know  this  hand  ?  wilt  thou  not  own  this 
name?  wilt  thou  not  confirm  thine  own  grant?  It 
were  infidelity  to  doubt  it.  I  will  not  disparage  the 
faithfulness  of  my  Lord,  nor  be  afraid  to  aver  and 
stand  to  what  he  hath  said  and  sworn.  Hast  thou 
said  thou  art  my  God,  and  shall  I  fear  thou  art  my 
enemy  ?  Hast  thou  told  me  thou  art  my  Father,  and 
shall  I  stand  aloof,  as  if  I  were  a  stranger?  I  will 
believe.  Lord,  silence  my  fears;  and  as  thou  hast 
given  me  the  claim  and  title  of  a  child,  so  give  me 
the  confidence  of  a  child.  Let  my  heart  be  daily  kept 
alive  by  thy  promises,  and  with  this  staff  let  me  pass 
over  Jordan.  May  these  be  my  undivided  companions 
and  comforters.  When  I  go,  let  them  lead  me ;  when 
I  sleep,  let  them  keep  me;  when  I  awake,  let  them 
talk  with  me.  And  do  thou  keep  these  things  for 
ever  upon  the  imaginations  of  the  thoughts  of  the 
hearts  of  thy  people,  and  prepare  their  hearts  unto 
thee.  And  let  the  heart  of  thy  servant  be  the  ark  of 
thy  testament,  wherein  the  sacred  records  of  what 
hath  passed  between  thee  and  my  soul  may  for  ever 
be  preserved.     Amen. 

Thus  far  my  friend.     So  may  it  bo. 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  329 


CHAPTER   XVI. 

TO  THE  UNCONVERTED. 
WITH  A  FORM  OF  COVENANTING  WITH   GOD. 

0  earth,  earth,  earth,  hear  the  word  of  the  Lord. 
Ye  men  of  this  world,  ye  spirits  that  are  in  prison, 
held  captive  to  iniquity,  under  the  prince  of  this 
world;  in  a  covenant  with  dealh,  at  an  agreement 
with  hell,  without  Christ,  aliens  from  the  common- 
wealth of  Israel,  strangers  from  the  covenant  of  prom- 
ise, having  no  hope,  without  God  in  the  world;  who 
have  said,  we  will  not  have  this  man  to  rule  over  us, 
let  us  break  his  bonds  asunder  andtast  his  cords  from 
us;  who  are  joined  to  idols,  have  chosen  you  other 
gods,  are  following  after  other  lovers ;  who  walk 
after  the  course  of  this  world,  according  to  the  prince 
of  the  power  of  the  air,  the  spirit  that  now  worketh 
in  the  children  of  disobedience;  having  your  conver- 
sation in  the  lusts  of  the  flesh,  fulfilling  the  desires  of 
the  flesh  and  of  the  mind,  and  being  still,  as  you  were 
by  nature,  the  children  of  wrath,  in  the  gall  of  bitter- 
ness and  bond  of  iniquity. 

0  ye  sons  of  death,  ye  children  of  the  night  and 
of  darkness,  hear,  and  your  souls  shall  live ;  to  you 
also  is  the  word  of  this  salvation  sent ;  even  the 
strangers,  and  those  who  are  afar  off,  that  will  lay 


330  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

hold  on  the  covenant,  and  choose  the  thing  that  pleas- 
eth  God,  these  also  shall  have  a  name  in  his  house, 
even  the  glorious  name  of  sons  and  daughters.  The 
Lord  hath  sent  a  word  into  Jacoh,  and  it  shall  light 
upon  Edom,  and  Amalek,  and  the  uncircumcised  Phil- 
istines, even  as  many  of  them  as  the  Lord  our  Grod 
shall  call.    Acts  2  :  39. 

Hearken,  0  people,  you  that  are  polluted  in  your 
Mood,  written  in  the  earth,  free  among  the  dead ; 
come  in,  let  your  covenant  with  death  be  made  void, 
and  your  agreement  with  hell  he  disannulled  ;  strike 
a  league  with  the  Almighty,  and  your  names  also 
shall  be  written  among  the  living  in  Jerusalem. 
Stand  ye  before  the  Lord ;  come,  let  us  reason  to- 
gether. Where  are  you  ?  What  is  your  portion  and 
inheritance  ?  Ye  are  cursed  with  a  curse.  Fire  and 
brimstone,  and  a  horrible  tempest,  this  shall  be  the 
portion  of  your  ctfp.  Psalm  11 : 6.  What  are  you 
seeking  ?  Whither  are  you  travelling  ?  After  a  few 
years  of  your  vanity  are  over,  where  must  your 
dwelling  be  ?  Who  can  dwell  with  the  devouring 
fire  ?  Who  can  dwell  with  everlasting  burnings  ? 
Look  before  you,  behold  that  smoking  furnace,  that 
burning  lake,  that  bottomless  pit  which  is  gaping  for 
you,  and  which  at  your  next  step  may  swallow  you 
up.  Escape  for  your  lives  ■  why  will  ye  die  ?  Turn 
and  live. 

Do  you  believe  the  resurrection  from  the  dead, 
the  judgment  to  come,  and  the  invisible  world?  Is 
it  to  the  spirit  of  a  man  as  to  the  spirit  of  a  beast  ? 
Doth  it  perish  with  his  body  ?     Dieth  a  man  as  a  dog 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  331 

dieth  ?  Dieth  a  wise  man  as  a  fool  dieth  ?  Fall  all 
things  alike  to  all,  just  and  unjust,  good  and  bad, 
after  this  life,  as  well  as  in  it  ? 

Do  you  believe  the  Scriptures?  Are  they  but  a 
fable  ?  If  you  hope  they  are,  are  you  sure  they  are  ? 
Dare  you  venture  your  souls  upon  it  ?  While  the 
saints  venture  on  the  truth,  dare  you  venture  your 
souls  on  the  falsehood  of  it  ?  Dare  you  stand  forth 
and  say,  If  this  word  be  not  a  lie,  let  me  be  damned 
for  ever ;  I  am  content  that  the  everlasting  worm  shall 
gnaw  my  heart,  that  the  infernal  fire  shall  burn  my 
flesh  and  bones  and  soul  for  ever  and  ever,  if  it  prove 
not  at  last  a  mere  forgery  and  imposture ! 

Do  you  believe  the  Scriptures  to  be  true  indeed  ? 
If  you  do,  what  do  they  preach  to  you  ?  Do  they 
speak  any  thing,  if  not  this  :  That  there  is  another  life 
and  death,  besides  that  which  is  within  the  ken  of 
mortal  eyes  ;  that  the  other  life  and  the  other  death 
are  eternal ;  that  upon  your  being  found  within  or 
without  the  covenant  of  God,  hangs  your  eternal  judg- 
ment, either  for  life  or  death ;  that  while  you  are  in 
a  covenant  with  death,  and  in  a  course  of  iniquity, 
you  are  without  the  covenant  of  God,  and  can  have 
no  benefit  by  it ;  that  under  sin,  you  are  out  of  cove- 
nant ;  out  of  covenant,  you  are  out  of  Christ ;  and  out 
of  Christ,  you  are  under  condemnation  ? 

Are  there  any  things  which  that  word — which  you 
profess  to  believe  to  be  true,  and  to  stand  as  sure  as 
heaven  and  earth — are  there  any  things  which  this 
speaks  more  plainly  than  these  things  and  such  as 
these  ?     What,  and  yet   secure  in  a  state  of  sin  ? 


332  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Aliens  from  God,  enemies  of  all  righteousness,  and 
yet  in  quiet  ?  Are  you  resolved  to  sell  eternity  for 
time,  life  for  death,  a  soul  for  the  pleasures  of  sin? 
Is  this  the  choice  you  have  made,  and  are  you  resolved 
to  stand  to  it?  "Let  me  have  this  world,  my  por- 
tion here,  my  good  things  here,  and  then  let  me  be 
damned  in  the  other  world ;  let  me  sin  here,  and  suf- 
fer hereafter ;  let  me  laugh  here,  and  lament  here- 
after ;  let  me  flourish  and  prosper  and  live  at  ease 
and  in  honor  and  in  pleasure  and  at  liberty  here,  and 
let  my  prison  and  my  pain  and  my  anguish  and  my 
plagues  be  beneath ;  there  let  me  be  torn,  let  me 
burn,  let  me  roar,  let  me  die,  so  I  may  be  rich  and 
be  merry,  and  rejoice  a  while  here ;  let  time  be  my 
heaven,  and  eternity  be  my  hell !"  Speak  in  earnest, 
is  this  your  choice  ?  Or  that  you  may  not  be  urged 
to  make  a  new  choice,  will  you  take  upon  you  to 
make  a  new  gospel  ?  And  dividing  what  God  hath 
joined  together,  will  you  join  what  he  hath  divided? 
Will  you  write  this  for  gospel:  "Holiness  and  hell, 
sin  and  glory,  Christ  and  the  curse,  the  devil  and  the 
crown :  let  the  wicked  hold  on  his  way,  and  the  un- 
righteous his  thoughts;  let  him  still  run  away  from 
the  Lord,  and  he  shall  have  mercy,  and  from  his  God, 
and  he  will  abundantly  pardon !  Strait  is  the  gate, 
and  narrow  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto  death,  and 
few  there  be  that  find  it ;  but  broad  is  the  gate,  and 
wide  is  the  way,  that  leadeth  unto  life,  and  the  whole 
world  are  going  in  thereat !  Blessed  are  the  proud 
inspirit;  for  theirs  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  !  Blessed 
are  they  that  laugh  now ;  blessed  are  the  froward, 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  333 

the  merciless,  the  impatient  in  heart,  the  persecutors 
for  righteousness'  sake ;  for  great  is  their  reward  in 
heaven !  Within  shall  be  the  dogs,  the  whoremongers, 
the  sorcerers,  the  drunkards,  the  ruffians,  the  blas- 
phemers, the  idolaters,  and  whosoever  loveth  and 
maketh  a  lie ;  and  without  shall  be  the  lambs,  the 
holy,  and  the  humble,  and  the  meek,  and  the  merci- 
ful, and  the  upright  in  heart,  and  the  poor  in  spirit, 
and  peacemakers,  the  persecuted  for  righteousness' 
sake,  and  whosoever  loveth  truth  and  maketh  God 
his  trust :  these  shall  go  into  everlasting  fire,  but  the 
ungodly  into  life  eternal !" 

Are  these  the  articles  of  your  creed  ?  Is  this  your 
gospel  ?  If  it  be,  0  what  is  your  heaven  ?  If  it  be 
not,  if  the  old  gospel  must  stand,  0  where  are  your 
souls  ?  Are  your  souls  lost,  and  are  they  not  worth 
the  recovery?  Why  will  ye  die?  Turn  and  live  ;  0 
when  shall  it  be  ? 

As  an  ambassador  for  Christ,  to  whom  is  committed 
the  word  of  reconciliation,  having  hinted  to  you  what 
is  law,  so  in  the  name  of  the  eternal  God,  I  publish 

to  you  THE   EVERLASTING  GOSPEL. 

The  Lord  God  having  entered  into  a  covenant  of 
life  with  the  first  Adam,  for  himself  and  all  mankind 
in  him,  this  covenant  has  been  broken,  whereby  sin 
hath  entered,  and  death  by  sin ;  and  all  the  world 
being  now  become  guilty  before  God,  bound  over  to 
the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire,  and  under  an  utter  im- 
possibility of  recovery  by  aught  which  that  covenant 
can  do,  God  has  out  of  his  abundant  grace  made  a 
new  covenant,  on  which  whosoever  shall  lay  hold, 


334  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

shall  be  delivered  out  of  the  state  of  death  and  wrath 
into  a  state  of  life  and  blessedness.  What  the  law- 
could  not  do,  being  weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sent 
his  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh  to  accomplish ; 
and  with  him  this  gracious  grant,  that  whosoever 
believeth  in  him,  shall  not  perish,  but  have  everlast- 
ing life.  John  3  :  16.  And  this  is  the  covenant  which 
has  been  declared  unto  you. 

This  new  covenant  is  a  marriage  covenant :  I 
will  betroth  thee  unto  me  for  ever,  yea,  I  will  betroth 
thee  to  me  in  righteousness,  and  in  loving-kindness, 
and  in  mercies.  Hos.  2 :  20.  In  it  the  Lord  makes 
offer,  and  invites  you  to  accept  of  a  husband  and  a 
dower  :  the  husband  is  the  King's  Son,  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  with  him  the  lost  kingdom,  and  all  that 
belongs  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  for  a  dower.  Liberty 
for  the  captives,  the  opening  of  the  prison  to  them 
that  are  bound ;  riches  to  the  poor,  eyes  to  the  blind, 
feet  to  the  lame,  healing  to  the  diseased,  and  life  to 
the  dead. 

And  whoever  among  you  all,  who  are  persons 
under  the  law,  held  by  the  cords  of  your  sins,  whose 
souls  are  fast  bound  in  fetters  of  iron,  who  are  willing 
that  your  covenant  with  death  be  made  void  and  your 
agreement  with  hell  be  disannulled,  and  will  join 
yourselves  to  the  Lord  and  be  brought  within  the 
bonds  of  this  covenant,  all  the  blessings  of  this  cove- 
nant are  made  over  and  stand  sure  unto  you.  The 
grant  is  made,  the  deed  is  drawn  and  sealed ;  the 
Lord  hath  set  to  his  seal — come  you  in  and  seal  the 
counterpart;  set  to  it  your  seal,  and  the  match  is 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  335 

made  up.  Christ,  and  with  him  all  things,  are  yours, 
and  you  are  his.  Accept,  and  live ;  refuse,  and  die 
for  ever. 

Come  then,  sinner ;  what  sayest  thou  ?  Dost  thou 
consent?  Dost  thou  accept?  Or,  as  Laban  to  Re- 
bekah,  Wilt  thou  go  with  this  man  ?  Let  me  espouse 
thee  to  this  one  Husband ;  only  let  me  first  tell  thee, 
the  matter  is  solemn,  and  thoii  must  be  serious.  It 
is  for  life,  it  is  for  eternity.  Consider  therefore,  and 
let  thy  heart,  lying  prostrate  before  the  Almighty, 
come  in  and  make  answer  to  these  demands,  which 
from  him,  and  in  his  great  and  dreadful  name,  I  make 
unto  thee. 

I.  Wilt  thou  have  Jesus  for  thy  Husband  ?  Un- 
derstand before  thou  answer.  The  taking  of  Christ 
for  thy  Husband  implies, 

1.  Intimate  union — by  choosing  and  accepting 
him  for  thine,  and  resigning  and  giving  up  thyself  to 
him  for  his  own ;  to  live  with  him  in  the  dearest  con- 
jugal affections  for  ever. 

2.  Ingenuous  subjection — by  a  free  and  cheerful 
putting  thyself  under  him,  as  thy  Lord  whom  thou 
wilt  obey  and  be  subject  to,  in  all  things.  The  wife 
must  be  subject  to  her  husband ;  yet  not  as  a  slave, 
by  constraint,  but  freely  and  by  consent. 

3.  Total  dependence — holding  him  as  thy  Head, 
expecting  nothing,  owning  nothing  but  what  descends 
upon  thee  from  him ;  depending  upon  him  for  all 
things,  the  bearing  of  thy  debts,  thy  discharge  from 
thy  bonds,  and  thy  whole  provision  for  a  livelihood 
and  maintenance. 


33G  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

Consider,  then;  what  sayest  thou?  Does  thy 
heart  choose  and  accept,  and  resign  up  itself  unto 
Christ  ?  Dost  thou  choose  him  as  a  Husband  ?  Thou 
canst  choose  him  as  a  Refuge,  to  hide  thee  from  dan- 
ger— thou  canst  choose  him  as  a  Friend,  to  help  thee 
in  thy  need ;  hut  dost  thou  choose  him  for  thy  Hus- 
band ?  Wilt  thou  cleave  to  him ;  love,  honor,  and 
obey  him  ?  Dost  thou  understand  his  manner,  the 
law  of  his  house,  his  family  order  and  discipline  ? 
Dost  thou  know  his  commands  and  expectations  ;  how 
holy,  how  spiritual,  how  strict  and  self-denying,  how 
humble  and  submissive  he  expects  thy  whole  carriage 
should  be  ?  "Wilt  thou  be  at  his  finding  ?  "Wilt  thou 
look  unto  him,  and  lean  upon  him  for  all  thou  need- 
est  ?  Shall  all  thy  desire  be  to  him,  and  thy  depend- 
ence on  him  ?  Thou  art  a  bondman  ;  who  shall  be 
thy  redemption  ?  Thou  art  a  malefactor ;  who  shall 
be  thy  satisfaction  ?  Thou  art  a  leper  ;  whence  dost 
thou  look  for  cleansing  ?  Thou  art  a  beggar ;  whence 
dost  thou  expect  an  inheritance  ?  "Wilt  thou  lean 
upon  thy  Beloved  for  all  ?  Shall  he  be  thy  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctification,  redemption,  and  inherit- 
ance ?  "Wilt  thou  do  him  this  honor,  to  trust  him  for 
all  this  ;  to  cast  all  thy  burdens,  thy  care,  thy  fears, 
thy  sins,  thy  guilt,  thy  hopes  upon  him?  Canst 
thou  say,  "0  my  God,  I  have  sinned,  I  have  sinned; 
thy  law  have  I  broken,  thy  love  have  I  slighted,  I 
have  fallen  from  thee,  and  run  over  to  thine  enemies; 
I  have  fallen  under  thy  displeasure ;  wrath  is  pro- 
voked, justice  has  taken  hold  of  me,  my  soul  is  un- 
done.   How  dreadful  is  thy  controversy  with  me !    And 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  337 

I  have  nothing  to  answer  but  this,  'My  Jesus  shall 
answer  for  me.' 

"0  my  Jesus,  thou  hast  wooed  and  invited  sin- 
ners unto  thee  ;  thou  hast  sent  forth  thy  messengers 
and  thy  word'  into  the  highways  and  hedges,  into  tho 
jails  and  hospitals  of  the  world  ;  among  the  poor, 
the  blind,  and  the  bound,  and  the  diseased,  and  those 
who  are  in  debt  and  distress,  to  take  from  among 
them  a  wife  for  thy  bosom.  Behold,  thy  word  has 
found  among  the  captives  this  wretched  adulteress, 
my  poor  harlot  soul,  which  has  dealt  treacherously 
with  thee,  and  has  followed  after  other  lovers,  has 
fallen  among  thieves  and  robbers,  is  bruised,  wounded, 
and  undone,  having  prodigally  spent  and  wasted  all 
that  I  had. 

"  But  behold,  I  come  at  thy  word  ;  if  thou  sayest, 
'I  have  no  pleasure  in  thee' — if  thou  spurn  me  with 
thy  foot,  and  trample  me  in  the  dirt,  or  send  me  back 
to  my  prison,  and  leave  me  to  bear  the  shame  of  my 
sins,  I  must  be  silent  and  speechless. 

"But  wilt  thou  receive  me  ?  Wilt  thou  take  me 
into  thy  house  ?  Shall  I  be  called  by  thy  name  ? 
Wilt  thou  love  me,  and  be  joined  unto  me  ?  Wilt 
thou  be  surety  for  thy  servant  ?  Wilt  thou  that  my 
debts  be  upon  thee,  my  bonds  be  upon  thee,  my  wants, 
my  sins,  my  sorrows,  my  fears,  my  plagues,  my  help, 
my  soul  be  upon  thee  ?  Wilt  thou,  Lord,  and  can  I 
say  thee  nay  ?  Wilt  thou  take  them,  and  can  I  re- 
fuse to  lay  them  upon  thee?  I  consent,  Lord,  I  con- 
sent to  thee ;  be  thou  my  husband  and  my  helper ; 
love  me,  discharge  me  of  this  guilt,  loose  me  from 

ITenven  Opened.  15 


336  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

these  fetters,  cleanse  me  from  this  filthiness,  and  then 
ask  what  thou  wilt,  impose  upon  me  whatever  thou 
pleasest.  Love  thee,  honor  thee,  ohey  thee  !  0  what 
is  my  love,  what  is  my  obedience,  that  thou  shouldst 
accept,  or  I  should  deny  it  to  thee  ?  It  is  but  little 
that  I  can  do ;  this  heart  is  so  false  and  so  feeble 
that  I  am  afraid  how  I  undertake  for  it ;  but  such  as 
it  is,  take  it  to  thee ;  I  bestow  it  wholly  upon  thee, 
with  this  promise,  that  if  thou  wilt  help  me,  I  will 
love  thee ;  if  thou  wilt  help  me,  I  will  be  subject  to 
thee,  and  lay  up  all  my  hopes  and  expectations  with 
thee."  Now,  soul,  now  that  thou  knowest  what  it 
means,  now  say,  wilt  thou  have  Christ  for  thy  Hus- 
band? 

II.  "Wilt  thou  take  him  for  better,  for  worse,  for 
richer,  for  poorer?  Though  thy  Lord  be  a  King,  yet 
his  kingdom  is  not  of  this  world.  He  came  not  to  be 
ministered  unto,  but  to  minister ;  he  came  to  serve 
and  to  suffer,  and  all  those  that  will  follow  him  must 
suffer  with  him.  He  came  not  to  divide  lands  and 
spoils  and  crowns  and  temporal  dignities  and  honors 
among  his  disciples,  but  crosses  and  prisons  and 
scourges  and  wants.  Thou  wilt  join  thyself  to  the 
Lord,  but  wilt  thou  take  up  thy  lot  with  him  ?  Thou 
wilt  live  with  him,  and  abide  with  him ;  but  dost  thou 
know  where  he  dwells,  and  what  his  entertainment 
is  ?  Sometimes  he  has  bread,  and  sometimes  he  is 
hungry;  sometimes  he  has  clothes,  and  sometimes  is 
naked ;  sometimes  he  has  a  house,  and  sometimes  he 
has  none ;  sometimes  he  has  friends,  and  sometimes  he 
has  none  j  he  is  sometimes  used  kindly,  and  some- 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  339 

times  as  coarsely;  sometimes  it  is  Hosanna,  and 
sometimes  Crucify;  sometimes  he  is  cried  up  as  a 
king,  sometimes  cried  out  against  as  a  devil:  and  as 
it  is  with  the  master,  so  will  it  be  with  the  scholar ; 
as  with  the  Lord,  so  with  the  disciple;  where  he  is, 
thou  must  be  also.  Canst  thou  say,  "Whither  thou 
goest,  I  will  go  with  thee ;  where  thou  feedest,  I  will 
feed  with  thee ;  where  my  Lord  dwelleth,  if  in  a  tent, 
if  in  a  cave,  if  in  a  dungeon,  if  in  a  wilderness,  wher- 
ever my  Lord  dwelleth,  let  me  dwell  with  him?  Con- 
sider what  thou  sayest,  and  be  not  overhasty. 

May  be  thou  dost  not  yet  know  what  hunger  and 
thirst  and  nakedness  mean,  what  the  wrath  of  man, 
what  their  reproachings  and  spittings  and  stripes 
and  bonds  mean :  it  may  be  thou  hast  thought,  This 
may  be  far  enough  off,  and  may  never  come  upon  me ; 
or  hast  taken  up  a  resolution  through  thoughtlessness, 
not  weighing  how  sharp  and  how  pinching  they  may 
be  to  thee.  But  suppose  thou  wert  now  just  come  to 
it,  and  that  thou  sawest  that  thy  first  foot  Christ- 
ward  would  be  the  parting-point  between  thee  and  all 
that  is  dear  unto  thee  in  the  world — that  thy  first  step 
heavenward  would  be  into  the  fire,  or  the  water,  or 
into  the  camp  of  the  Philistines,  whose  faces  were  all 
filled  with  fury  against  thee — hast  thou  yet  such  a 
far  deeper  sense  of  the  eternal  sufferings  thou  art  in 
danger  of;  such  a  settled  belief  of  thy  absolute  neces- 
sity of  Christ  to  thy  escaping  these ;  such  a  high  value 
of  the  love  of  Christ,  and  the  everlasting  salvation 
thou  expectest  by  him,  as  overbalances  and  swallows 
up  the  sharpest  and  the  quickest  sense  thou  hast  or 


340  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

canst  have  of  the  greatest  things  thou  shalt  suffer  by 
him?  Hast  thou  counted  up  all  afflictions  imaginable, 
and  then  put  thy  soul  to  decide :  "Now  resolve  what 
to  do :  either  this,  or  no  Christ ;  either  this,  or  no 
crown ;  either  this  cross,  or  the  curse ;  either  the 
wrath  of  man,  or  the  wrath  of  Grod,  shrieking  and 
howling  and  gnashing  of  teeth  for  ever  and  ever. 
Confess  Christ,  and  be  confessed  by  him ;  suffer 
with  Christ,  and  reign  with  him ;  weep  with  Christ, 
and  rejoice  with  him;  die  with  Christ,  and  live  for 
ever:  deny  Christ,  forsake  Christ,  and  perish  for 
ever."  Hast  thou  thus  put  thyself  to  it?  And  after 
the  most  solemn  debate  thou  hast  had,  what  is  the 
result  ?  Now  tell  me,  Christ,  or  no  Christ  ?  Wilt  thou 
have  Christ  for  better,  for  worse,  how  dear  soever  he 
cost  thee  ? 

III.    Wilt    thou    FORSAKE    ALL    OTHERS  ?      TllOU    hast 

three  husbands  that  lay  claim  to  thee:  sin,  the  world, 
and  the  devil.  Wilt  thou  renounce,  and  be  divorced 
from  all  these?  There  is  no  compounding  between 
Christ  and  them;  he  or  they  must  go. 

1.  The  renouncing  of  sin  consists  in  the  disen- 
gaging or  loosening  of  the  heart  from  sin.  It  is  a 
hearty  willingness  to  let  it  go :  a  willingness  to  part 
is  our  parting  with  sin — a  breaking  the  peace,  the 
cutting  off  the  league  between  sin  and  the  soul ; 
when  a  sinner,  clearly  convinced  of  the  worth  of 
Christ,  of  the  value  of  the  soul,  of  the  enmity  of  sin 
against  Christ  and  the  soul,  of  the  unworthiness  of 
sin  with  all  its  pleasures  and  advantages  to  be  laid 
in  the  balance  with  Christ,  is  willing  to  be  rid  of  it: 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  341 

"What  is  there  in  it?  what  can  it  do  for  me?  how 
long  will  it  last  me?  where,  %vill  it  lead  me?  0  the 
tail  of  these  locusts — the  sting,  the  sting  that  I  see 
there!  Can  I  live  without  Christ;  or  can  I  hope  that 
he  will  dwell  with  such  neighbors  ?  Can  I  bear  the 
loss  of  my  soul;  or  can  it  escape  if  these  escape?  I 
see  it  is  vain  to  think  of  keeping  both  Christ  and  lusts, 
it  is  vain  to  think  of  saving  both  my  sins  and  my  soul; 
it  is  all  one  as  to  be  saved  and  to  be  damned;  I  may 
as  well  bring  heaven  and  hell  together.  "Well,  let 
them  go;  henceforth  hold  thy  peace,  sin,  plead  no 
more  with  me  for  entertainment,  be  a  stranger  for 
ever  to  me,  henceforth  I  know  thee  no  more." 

In  the  engaging  of  the  heart  against  sin.  When 
the  heart  is  not  only  content  to  let  it  depart,  but  gives 
it  a  bill  of  divorce,  and  sends  it  away.  When  it  can 
live  without  it,  and  cannot  bear  it.  When  it  deals 
with  it  as  the  Egyptians  with  Israel :  at  first  they 
only  gave  them  leave  to  be  gone,  but  at  length  they 
thrust  them  out.  They  were  urgent  upon  them, 
"that  they  might  send  them  out  of  the  land  in  haste; 
for  they  said,  we  be  all  but  dead  men." 

"  Begone,  sin,"  it  says,  "  I  am  but  a  dead  man  if 
thou  abidest  with  me;"  and  so  it  will  no  longer  court 
it  as  a  friend,  but  curse  it  as  an  enemy — fears  it,  hates 
it,  and  is  resolved  to  be  its  mortal  enemy;  and  to  this 
end  is  determined  to  use  all  God's  means  to  discover 
and  to  destroy  it. 

(1.)  To  use  all  God's  means  to  discover  it;  to 
bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness.  Sin 
goes  under  a  disguise ;  it  is  hard  to  know  friends  from 


342  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

enemies ;  they  need  have  their  senses  about  them,  and 
well  exercised  too,  that  are  to  discern  between  good 
and  evil.  Heb.  5  :  14.  "Who  can  understand  his  errors  ? 
Psa.  19  :  12.  Sin  lies  in  the  dark.  "  The  heart  of 
man  is  desperately  wicked ;  who  can  know  it?"  There 
is  too  much  wickedness,  and  it  lies  too  deep  to  be  dis- 
cerned by  every  eye ;  he  that  means  in  earnest  to  cast 
out,  must  first  search  out  his  iniquities.  "Let  us 
search  and  try  our  ways."  Lam.  3  :  40.  He  must 
search  the  scriptures  which  describe  these  enemies, 
and  mark  them  out,  what  they  are,  and  how  many, 
and  how  you  may  know  them  wherever  you  find 
them,  and  under  what  disguise  soever  they  appear; 
must  search  the  heart,  where,  if  they  walk  no  more 
openly,  they  will  hide  themselves,  that  they  be  not 
discovered  or  suspected. 

Thou  art  a  self-deceived  sinner,  who  callest  thy- 
self an  adversary  to  sin,  and  takest  no  care  to  find  it 
out ;  much  more,  who  willingly  hidest  it  out  of  sight. 
He  takes  part  with  sin  who  will  not  take  pains 
to  know  it.  "I  hate  the  devil  and  all  his  works,  I 
repent,  I  forsake  all  my  sins ;  and  though  I  have  done 
iniquity,  by  the  grace  of  God  I  will  do  so  no  more." 
Thus  vain  men  talk ;  but  dost  thou  know  what  thou 
say  est  ?  What  is  sin  ?  Dost  thou  know  a  friend  from 
an  enemy,  good  from  evil  ?  What  are  thy  sins  ?  what 
hast  thou  done  ?  wherein  hast  thou  transgressed  ? 
who  are  those  that  have  done  thee  mischief?  what 
are  their  names  ?  It  may  be  thou  wilt  say  their  name 
is  Legion,  for  they  are  many. 

"  In  many  things  I  have  transgressed,  in  many 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  343 

things  I  have  offended."  But  in  what  things  ?  Dost 
thou  know  thine  enemy  when  thou  seest  him ;  or 
wouldst  thou  know  him  if  thou  couldst  ?  Dost  thou 
make  any  search  or  inquiry  after  him  ?  When  thou 
readest  of  a  proud  heart  in  the  Scriptures,  art  thou 
able  to  say,  There  is  one  of  them  that  have  done  me 
mischief ;  or  of  a  covetous  heart,  There  is  another  of 
them ;  or  of  an  envious,  malicious,  froward  heart, 
There  are  more  of  them  ;  or  of  a  hard  and  hypocriti- 
cal, ignorant,  unbelieving  heart,  This  is  he,  this  is  my 
great  enemy?  Or  if  thou  canst  not  tell,  dost  thou 
ask,  Is  not  this  he ;  are  not  these  they  ?  0  that  I 
could  understand  mine  errors ;  Lord,  make  me  to  know 
my  transgressions. 

Sinners,  never  make  yourselves  believe  you  are 
enemies  to  sin  till  you  make  narrow  and  particular 
inquiry  after  it — after  all  sin,  the  several  kinds  of  it, 
whether  of  omission  or  commission,  whether  outward 
or  spiritual,  open  or  secret,  greater  or  smaller,  sins  of 
ignorance  or  knowledge,  of  infirmities  or  presump- 
tion; your  beloved,  your  most  pleasing  sins,  your 
most  gainful  lusts,  whatever  they  be,  you  can  never 
renounce  till  you  resolve  to  make  a  diligent  search 
after  them. 

(2.)  To  use  all  God's  means  to  overcome  and  de- 
stroy them.  He  that  hides  his  enemy,  and  he  that 
will  spare  him  when  he  has  found  him,  is  not  an 
enemy,  but  a  friend.  He  that  says,  I  will  destroy, 
and  will  not  use  his  weapons,  either  knows  not  what 
he  says,  or  says  what  he  never  means.  Thou  sayest 
thou  wilt  renounce  and  resist  all  thy  sins ;  but  art 


344  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

thou  in  earnest  ?  What  course  dost  thou  mean  to 
take  ?  Wilt  thou  take  God's  way  ?  He  "bids  thee 
hear,  believe,  pray,  fast,  mourn,  strive,  watch ;  and 
wilt  thou  hearken  to  his  counsels  ?  Thou  wilt  he 
healed  of  thy  diseases  ;  but  wilt  thou  take  the  counsel 
of  the  Physician  ?  Wilt  thou  use  his  medicines  ?  Thou 
wilt  overcome  thine  enemy ;  but  wilt  thou  take  heed 
of  him  ?  Wilt  thou  fight  against  him  ?  Wilt  thou 
take  in  all  the  help  that  is  offered  thee  ?  Wilt  thou 
not  only  believe  and  lean  upon  God  for  his  help,  but 
wilt  thou  pray  and  lift  up  thy  heart  for  his  help  ? 
Wilt  thou  not  only  pray  against  thy  sins,  but  watch 
against  them — iagainst  the  occasions,  temptations, 
and  beginnings  of  sin?  Wilt  thou  use  all  God's 
means,  and  against  all  thy  sins  ?  Shall  not  thine 
eyes  spare  any  of  them  ?  Wilt  thou  make  thorough 
work  with  them,  root  and  branch,  old  and  young? 
Shall  there  be  neither  the  lowing  of  the  oxen  nor  the 
bleating  of  the  sheep  heard  with  thee  ? 

Wilt  thou  avenge  thyself  of  thine  enemies,  and 
wilt  thou  never  again  agree  with  thine  adversaries  ? 
If  thy  sins  say  to  thee,  Is  it  peace,  soul  ?  wilt  thou 
answer,  What  have  you  to  do  with  peace  ?  get  you 
behind  me.  Wilt  thou  neither  make  a  truce  with 
sin,  nor  embrace  a  parley,  nor  entertain  a  treaty  for 
peace  with  it  ?  Wilt  thou  not  draw  back  thy  hand, 
nor  put  up  thy  weapons,  nor  give  over  thy  watch, 
nor  go  off  thy  guard,  till  all  thine  enemies  become 
thy  footstool  ?  All  this  is  included  in  the  renouncing 
of  sin. 

Beware  you  be  not  mistaken  here ;  this  is  the 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  345 

damnation  of  the  world,  their  mistakes  about  repent- 
ance. They  easily  say,  I  repent  of  my  sins,  I  forsake 
the  devil  and  all  his  works.  And  they  as  easily  per- 
suade themselves  that  they  do  as  they  say.  But  did 
they  understand  what  there  is  in  this  repentance — a 
searching  out  their  sins,  dividing  their  souls  from 
them,  a  painful  and  watchful  shunning  and  resisting 
them  in  their  whole  course  ;  did  they  know  what  their 
particular  sins  are,  how  near  they  arc  to  their  hearts, 
how  they  have  been  nursed  in  their  bosoms,  and  how 
hard  it  will  be  now  to  part :  even  tins  covetousixss 
must  go,  even  this  sensuality  must  go ;  these  dear 
pleasures,  these  beloved  gains,  these  pleasant  compan- 
ions must  all  be  sent  away,  not  one  to  be  spared,  not 
so  much  as  once  more — did  they  understand  this,  they 
would  then  see  what  wind  all  their  good  words  be. 
They  as  much  mean  to  pluck  their  eyes  out  of  their 
heads,  to  tear  their  flesh  off  their  bones,  as  to  repent, 
if  this  be  repentance.  Well,  now  say,  wilt  thou  re- 
pent— wilt  thou  now  renounce  sin  ? 

2.  Wilt  thou  renounce  the  world  also  ?  By  the 
world,  understand  all  the  substance  of  the  world, 
houses,  lands,  money,  and  whatsoever  worldly  pos- 
sessions ;  all  the  shadows  of  the  world,  its  honors, 
pleasures,  pomps,  with  all  its  glory ;  the  men  of  this 
world,  the  friendship  of  the  world,  all  fleshly  rela- 
tions, fathers,  mothers,  brothers,  sisters,  children,  all 
sinful  companions  and  societies ;  whatsoever  is  in  and 
of  the  world. 

These  are  then  renounced,  when  we  are  resolved 
*hat  they  shall  neither  be  our  gods  nor  our  tempters 

15* 


346  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

1.  Not  our  gods.  We  make  the  world  a  god  to  us, 
when  we  make  it  our  happiness  or  end ;  when  we 
bless  ourselves  in  it,  and  count  that  our  very  life  con- 
sists in  the  abundance  of  the  things  which  we  pos- 
sess ;  when  we  devote  ourselves  to  it,  making  it  both 
the  blessedness  and  the  great  business  of  our  life.  He 
that  can  lack  the  world,  and  yet  be  blessed — he  that 
can  have  the  world,  and  yet  not  serve  it — he  has  re- 
nounced it,  even  while  he  has  it ;  though  it  is  his  still, 
yet  it  is  not  his  god.  2.  Not  our  tempters.  The 
world  tempts  in  a  double  way — by  objects  and  instru- 
ments. As  objects :  which  by  something  that  is  ap- 
prehended desirable  in  them,  entice  and  invite  out  the 
heart  after  them ;  or  by  something  apprehended  as 
formidable,  affright  us  out  of  our  way :  thus,  pleas- 
ant meats  tempt  the  glutton,  and  wine  the  drunkard, 
and  a  lion  in  the  streets  the  coward.  Also  by  instru- 
ments :  as  the  devil's  instruments  or  agitators,  by 
which  he  betrays  and  beguiles  unstable  souls.  In  the 
former  sense  the  things  of  the  world,  in  the  latter, 
the  men  of  the  world,  are  temptations  and  tempters 
to  us.  He  renounces  the  world,  that  will  not  be 
tempted  by  the  world — that  takes  up  with  Christ,  and 
will  not  be  bribed  off  by  worldly  advantages,  nor  prose- 
lyted by  worldly  companions. 

He  that  is  resolved  for  Christ,  though  with  the 
loss  of  all,  and  with  the  displeasure  of  all  the  world — 
he  that  can  be  poor  for  Christ,  that  can  be  vile  for 
Christ,  that  can  go  hungry  and  naked  with  Christ, 
that  can  go  alone  with  Christ,  and  this  even  when  it 
is  but  to  turn  away  from  Christ,  and  he  may  be  rich, 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  347 

honorable,  clothed  and  filled,  and  have  company  enough, 
as  much  as  he  desires — he  forsakes  the  world. 

He  that  can  renounce  the  world,  whenever  it  comes 
to  he  the  case  that  either  Christ  must  be  forsaken,  or 
all  things  for  Christ — he  that  can  do  this,  whose  heart 
is  brought  to  it,  he  has  renounced  the  world.  What 
sayest  thou  now,  soul  ? 

Thou  wilt  have  Christ ;  but  what  if  thou  must 
leave  all  behind  thee?  "What  if  he  say  to  thee,  Sell 
all  that  thou  hast,  and  follow  me  ?  Canst  thou  be 
poor  ?  Canst  thou  be  naked  ?  Canst  thou  be  hungry 
for  Christ?  Thou  wilt  have  Christ;  but  how  wilt 
thou  leave  thy  companions  ?  Canst  thou  hear  all  thy 
carnal  friends  say  of  thee,  "He  is  a  fool,  he  is  mad, 
he  is  beside  himself  ?"  How  wilt  thou  look  thy  fa- 
ther, or  thy  mother,  or  thy  wife  in  the  face,  who  are 
all  against  it ;  who  will  be  persuading,  beseeching 
thee,  weeping  over  thee,  hanging  upon  thy  neck,  or  it 
may  be,  scoffing  and  reviling,  to  discourage  and  hold 
thee  back  ?  What  sayest  thou  now  ?  Art  thou  yet 
for  Christ?  Wilt  thou  forsake  them  all,  cast  off  all 
that  stands  in  thy  way? 

3.  Wilt  thou  forsake  the  devil  also  ?  But  I 
need  not  now  ask  thee  that;  that  is  done  already: 
farewell,  devil,  when  once  sin  and  the  world  are  cast 
out.  If  thou  wilt  not  be  tempted  to  sin,  if  the  world 
ceases  to  be  a  temptation,  the  devil  might  as  well 
cease  to  be  a  tempter.  There  be  many  that  say,  "  I 
defy  the  devil,"  and  yet  defy  not  sin  and  the  world. 
Wise  men!  They  like  not  the  devil,  but  yet  wilt  fol- 
low his  will ;  they  hate  the  devil,  and  yet  are  never 


348  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

well  longer  than  they  are  dancing  in  his  chains.  Defy 
the  devil,  and  yet  love  sin!  Such  defiance  is  his 
delight.  Let  sin  be  defied,  let  the  world  be  despised, 
and  the  devil  is  conquered. 

IV.  Wilt  thou  cleave  unto  Christ  from  hence- 
forth unto  death  ?  Thou  wilt  have  Christ ;  but 
when  ?  Shall  this  be  the  marriage-day  ?  Wilt  thou 
from  henceforth  be  the  Lord's ;  or  when  shall  it  be  ? 
Must  it  be  to-morrow,  or  next  month,  or  next  year, 
or  some  time  or  other,  thou  knowest  not  when  ?  Must 
we  take  thy  promise  as  they  did  the  prophecy,  "  The 
vision  that  he  seeth  is  for  many  days  to  come,  and 
he  prophesieth  of  the  times  that  are  far  off  ?"  Ezek. 
12  :  27.  To-morrow  thou  wilt,  hereafter  thou  wilt : 
as  well  thou  hadst  said  nothing ;  as  good  thou  hadst 
said,  "Never,"  as,  "Not  yet."  Speak,  soul;  wilt  thou 
give  thyself  to  the  Lord,  wilt  thou  presently  ?  If  thou 
wilt,  how  long  wilt  thou  abide  with  him  ?  Wilt  thou 
not  endorse  on  thy  deed  of  gift  a  power  of  revocation  ? 
Wilt  thou  not  repent,  not  return  again  from  heaven 
to  earth  ?  Wilt  thou  be  chaste,  and  play  the  harlot 
no  more?  Wilt  thou  be  faithful  to  the  death,  obe- 
dient to  the  death?  Is  this  thy  voice :  "I  have  opened 
my  mouth  to  the  Lord,  and  I  cannot  go  back.  As 
the  Lord  liveth,  nothing  but  death,  no,  not  death 
itself,  shall  part  thee  and  me :  I  am  persuaded,  I  am 
resolved  that  neither  life,  nor  death,  nor  angels,  nor 
principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things  present,  nor 
things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other 
creature,  shall  separate  me  from  the  love  of  God,  or 
withdraw  me  from  Jesus  Christ  my  Lord?" 


TO  THE  UNCONVERTED.  349 

Now,  soul,  gather  up  all  this  together  ;  stand  thou 
before  the  Lord,  the  God  of  all  the  earth,  and  this 
once  more  answer.  Wilt  thou  have  Jesus  Christ  for 
thy  Husband?  Dost  thou  choose  him  for  thy  Lord? 
"Wilt  thou  cleave  to  him  in  love  ?  Wilt  thou  lean 
upon  him  for  righteousness  and  strength — for  right- 
eousness, to  pay  thy  debts,  and  for  strength,  to  pa}* 
thy  vows  ?  "Wilt  thou  be  subject  to  him  ?  Thou 
knowest  the  commandments,  how  holy,  how  strict 
they  are;  wilt  thdu  obey  them  in  all  things?  Wilt 
thou  exercise  thyself  to  godliness  in  the  strictness  of 
it  ?  Wilt  thou  be  a  thorough  disciple  ?  "Wilt  thou 
not  content  thyself  with  such  a  cold  or  lukewarm  in- 
difference in  religion,  as  thy  lazy  flesh  will  bear;  as 
thy  credit,  thy  safety,  or  the  temper  of  the  times  will 
bear  ?  Wilt  thou  follow  thy  Lord  fully  ?  Wilt  thou 
take  up  thy  lot  with  Christ,  be  it  better  or  worse? 
Shall  his  Father  be  thy  Father,  his  inheritance  be  thy 
inheritance ;  yea,  and  his  sufferings  thy  sufferings  ; 
his  stripes,  his  bonds,  his  poverty  be  thine  ?  .  Wilt 
thou  espouse  not  his  crown  only,  but  his  cross  too  ? 
Wherever  he  goes,  wilt  thou  go ;  where  he  dwells, 
wilt  thou  dwell  ?  Wilt  thou  say,  Wherever  my  Lord 
is,  there  let  his  servant  be  ?  Wilt  thou  forsake  all 
others ;  all  thy  sins  ?  Wilt  thou  be  made  clean  ? 
Wilt  thou  give  up  thy  fleshly  lusts  to  be  purged  out? 
Does  thy  heart  stand  disengaged  from  every  sin  ?  Is 
there  not  any  one  iniquity,  concerning  which  thy 
heart  says,  Let  this  stay  with  me  ?  Wilt  thou  search 
out  thy  sins  ?  Wilt  thou  accomplish  a  diligent  search, 
sweep  every  corner,  search  every  chamber  of  thy  heart 


350  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

and  life  ?  "Wilt  thou  go  down  to  the  bottom  of  thy 
great  deep  to  find  out  what  lodges  there  ?  Wilt  thou 
faithfully  endeavor  no  more  to  allow  thyself  in  any 
known  iniquity  ?  Wilt  thou  use  all  Gf  od's  means  for 
conquering  and  casting  out  all  sin  ?  Wilt  thou  forsake 
the  world  ?  Wilt  thou  cast  away  thine  idols  ?  Shall 
thy  mammon  be  no  more  a  god  nor  a  demigod  to  thee  ? 
Shall  it  neither  carry  away  thy  heart  from  him,  nor 
so  much  as  share  with  him  in  it  ?  Wilt  thou  not  bow 
down  to  this  golden  image,  nor  serve  it  ?  Wilt  thou 
no  longer  serve  thy  greedy  appetite  ?  Shall  thy  heart 
no  longer  go  after  thy  covetousness  ?  Wilt  thou  aban- 
don thine  estate,  thy  pleasures,  thine  honors,  thy 
friends  and  companions,  so  far  as  any  of  these  divide 
or  entice,  or  steal  away  thy  heart  from  thy  Lord? 
Whenever  they  say,  Come  away,  wilt  thou  say,  Get 
you  hence  ?  Wilt  thou  forsake  the  devil  ?  Wilt  thou 
fear,  and  fly  from,  and  no  longer  hearken  to  his  temp- 
tations ?  Wilt  thou  no  longer  regard  his  promises  nor 
his  threatenings  ;  his  flatteries  nor  his  frowns  ?  Com- 
ing off  from  the  tents  of  all  these,  wilt  thou  cleave 
unto  thy  Lord  from  henceforth,  from  this  day  forward, 
and  not  depart  from  him  for  ever  ?  Wilt  thou  hold  on 
thy  course  ?  Wilt  thou  run  out  thy  race  ?  Wilt  thou 
be  faithful  to  the  death?  Wilt  thou  hope  to  the  end 
for  the  grace  that  shall  be  brought  unto  thee  at  the 
revelation  of  Jesus  Christ  ? 

What  sayest  thou?  If  thou  sayest,  No,  as  the 
Lord  liveth,  thou  speakest  this  word  against  thine  own 
life.  If  thou  refusest  to  enter  into  this  covenant,  thou 
sayest,  "I  will  not  be  the  Lord's,  I  will  none  of  him, 


FORM  OF  COVENANT   WITH  GOD.  351 

I  will  not  live ;  let  death  and  wrath  and  chains  and 
plagues  be  my  portion  for  ever.  I  will  not  be  the 
Lord's,  I  will  not  leave  my  sins  and  my  pleasures  and 
my  companions  for  his  love ;  I  will  die,  and  will  not 
see  life."  Mistake  not  thyself,  be  not  deceived,  it  is 
a  matter  of  life  and  death  that  is  before  thee.  It  is 
whether  heaven  or  hell,  a  God  or  no  (rod,  a  Christ  or 
no  Christ,  a  soul  or  a  lost  soul,  everlasting  life  or 
everlasting  fire  shall  be  thy  portion,  that  stands  now 
to  be  determined,  by  thy  consent  or  refusal ;  look  to 
it,  be  wise,  this  once  for  eternity.  Consent,  and  thou 
art  blessed ;  consent,  and  he  is  thine,  and  with  him 
the  kingdom.  Thy  Lord  hath  given  his  consent  al- 
ready ;  view  the  handwriting,  the  whole  New  Testa- 
ment, which  is  written  in  blood,  and  sealed  as  it  is 
written.  There  thou  hast  his  "I  will"  in  every  line 
almost,  visible  before  thee ;  put  to  thy  hand,  and  it  is 
done.  What  sayest  thou  ?  Dost  thou  consent  ?  Shall 
thy  heart  come  in  and  put  to  thy  hand,  and  subscribe 
for  thee,  "  I  will?"  Let  that  be  done,  and  then  say 
after  me, 

A   FORM   OF    WORDS    EXPRESSING   MAN'S    COVENANTING 
WITH   GOD. 

0  most  dreadful  God,  for  the  sake  of  thy  Son,  I 
beseech  thee,  accept  of. thy  poor  prodigal  now  pros- 
trating himself  at  thy  door.  I  have  fallen  from  thee 
by  mine  iniquity,  and  am  by  nature  a  son  of  death, 
and  a  thousand-fold  more  the  child  of  hell  by  my 
wicked  practice  ;  but  of  thine  infinite  grace  thou  hast 
promised  mercy  to  me  in  Christ,  if  I  will  but  turn  to 


352  HEAVEN   OPENED. 

thee  with  all  my  heart ;  therefore,  upon  the  call  of  thy 
gospel,  I  am  now  come  in ;  and  throwing  down  my 
weapons,  submit  myself  to  thy  mercy. 

And  because  thou  requirest  as  the  condition  of  my 
peace  with  thee,  that  I  should  put  away  mine  idols, 
and  be  at  defiance  with  all  thine  enemies,  which  I 
acknowledge  I  have  wickedly  sided  with  against  thee, 
I  here  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  renounce  them 
all,  firmly  covenanting  with  thee  not  to  allow  myself 
in  any  known  sin,  but  conscientiously  to  use  all  means 
that  I  know  thou  hast  prescribed  for  the  death  and 
utter  destruction  of  all  my  corruptions.  And  where- 
as I  have  formerly  inordinately  and  idolatrously  let 
out  my  affections  upon  the  world,  I  do  here  resign 
my  heart  to  thee  who  madest  it ;  humbly  protesting 
before  thy  glorious  Majesty,  that  it  is  the  firm  resolu- 
tion of  my  heart,  and  that  I  do  unfeignedly  desire 
grace  from  thee,  that  when  thou  shalt  call  me  here- 
unto, I  may  practise  this  my  resolution,  through  thy 
assistance,  to  forsake  all  that  is  dear  unto  me  in  this 
world,  rather  than  to  turn  from  thee  to  the  ways  of 
sin  ;  and  that  I  will  watch  against  all  its  temptations, 
whether  of  prosperity  or  adversity,  lest  they  should 
withdraw  my  heart  from  thee;  beseeching  thee  also 
to  help  me  against  the  temptations  of  Satan,  to  whose 
wicked  suggestions,  I  resolve,  by  thy  grace,  never  to 
yield  myself  a  servant.  And  because  my  own  right- 
eousness is  but  filthy  rags,  I  renounce  all  confidence 
therein,  and  acknowledge  that  I  am  of  myself  a  hope- 
less, helpless,  undone  creature,  without  righteousness 
or  strength. 


FORM  OF  COVENANT  WITH  GOD.  353 

And  forasmuch  as  thou  hast  of  thy  boundless 
mercy  offered  most  graciously  to  me  a  wretched  sin- 
ner to  he  again  my  God  through  Christ,  if  I  would 
accept  of  thee,  I  call  heaven  and  earth  to  record  this 
day,  that  I  do  here  solemnly  avouch  thee  to  be  the 
Lord  my  God,  and  with  all  possible  veneration,  bow- 
ing the  neck  of  my  soul  under  the  feet  of  thy  most 
sacred  Majesty,  I  do  here  take  thee  the  Lord  Jehovah, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  for  my  portion  and 
chief  good,  and  do  give  up  myself,  body  and  soul,  for 
thy  servant,  promising  and  vowing  to  serve  thee  in 
holiness  and  righteousness  all  the  days  of  my  life. 

And  since  thou  hast  appointed  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  the  only  means  of  coming  unto  thee,  I  do  here 
upon  the  bended  knees  of  my  soul  accept  of  him  as  the 
only  new  and  living  way  by  which  sinners  may  have 
access  to  thee,  and  do  here  solemnly  join  myself  in 
the  marriage-covenant  to  him. 

0  blessed  Jesus,  I  come  to  thee  hungry  and  poor, 
and  wretched  and  miserable,  and  blind  and  naked,  a 
most  loathsome,  polluted  wretch,  a  guilty,  condemned 
malefactor,  unworthy  to  wash  the  feet  of  the  servants 
of  my  Lord,  much  more  to  be  solemnly  married  to 
the  King  of  glory.  But  since  such  is  thine  unparal- 
leled love,  I  do  here  with  all  my  power  accept  thee, 
and  do  ta"ke  thee  for  my  Head  and  Husband,  for  bet- 
ter for  worse,  for  richer  for  poorer,  for  all  times  and 
conditions,  to  love,  honor,  and  obey  thee  before  all 
others,  and  this  to  the  death.  I  embrace  thee  in  all 
thine  offices:  I  renounce  mine  own  unworthiness,  and 
do  here  avow  thee  to  be  the  Lord  my  righteousness. 


354  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

I  renounce  mine  own  wisdom,  and  do  here  take  thee 
for  mine  only  guide.  I  renounce  mine  own  will  and 
take  thy  will  for  my  law. 

And  since  thou  hast  told  me  that  I  must  suffer  if 
I  will  reign,  I  do  here  covenant  with  thee  to  take  my 
lot  as  it  falls  with  thee,  and  by  thy  grace  assisting, 
to  run  all  hazards  with  thee,  verily  supposing  that 
neither  life  nor  death  shall  part  between  thee  and  me. 

And  because  thou  hast  been  pleased  to  give  me 
thy  holy  laws  as  the  rule  of  my  life,  and  the  way  in 
which  I  should  walk  to  thy  kingdom,  I  do  here  will- 
ingly put  my  neck  under  thy  yoke,  and  set  my 
shoulder  to  thy  burden,  and  subscribe  to  all  thy 
laws,  as  holy,  just,  and  good.  I  solemnly  take  them 
as  the  rule  of  my  words,  thoughts,  and  actions ;  prom- 
ising that  though  my  flesh  contradict  and  rebel,  yet 
I  will  endeavor  to  order  and  govern  my  whole  life 
according  to  thy  direction,  and  will  not  allow  myself 
in  the  neglect  of  any  thing  that  I  know  to  be  my 
duty. 

Only,  because  through  the  frailty  of  my  flesh  I  am 
subject  to  many  failings,  I  am  bold  humbly  to  pro- 
test that  unallowed  miscarriages,  contrary  to  the  set- 
tled bent  and  resolution  of  my  heart,  shall  not  make 
void  this  covenant;  for  so  thou  hast  said. 

Now,  Almighty  God,  searcher  of  hearts,  thou 
knowest  that  I  make  this  covenant  with  thee  this  day, 
without  any  known  guile  or  reservation ;  beseeching 
thee,  that  if  thou  seest  any  flaw  or  falsehood  therein, 
thou  wouldst  discover  it  to  me,  and  help  me  to  do  it 
aright. 


FORM  OF  COVENANT  WITH  GOD.  355 

And  now,  glory  be  to  thee,  0  God  the  Father,  whom 
I  shall  be  bold  from  this  day  forward  to  look  upon  as 
my  God  and  Father,  that  ever  thou  shouldst  find  out 
such  a  way  for  the  recovery  of  undone  sinners.  Glory 
be  to  thee,  0  God  the  Son,  who  hast  loved  me,  and 
washed  me  from  my  sins  in  thine  own  blood,  and  art 
now  become  my  Saviour  and  Redeemer.  Glory  be  to 
thee,  0  God  the  Holy  Ghost,  who  by  thine  almighty 
power  hast  turned  my  heart  from  sin  to  God. 

0  dreadful  Jehovah,  the  Lord  God  omnipotent, 
Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost,  thou  art  now  become 
my  covenant  Friend,  and  I  through  thine  infinite  grace 
am  become  thy  covenant  servant.  Amen.  So  be  it. 
And  the  covenant  which  I  have  made  on  earth,  let  it 
be  ratified  in  heaven. 


356  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

TO    GOD'S    COVENANT    PEOPLE. 

Come,  ye  people  beloved,  you  that  are  highly  fa- 
vored :  the  Lord  is  with  you.  Blessed  are  you  among 
men.  The  lines  are  fallen  to  you  in  a  pleasant  place, 
yea,  you  have  a  goodly  heritage.  Come  and  enter 
upon  your  lot ;  let  your  hearts  be  glad,  let  your  glory 
rejoice.  Bat  that  your  joy  may  be  full,  hearken  to 
these  following  counsels. 

I.  Make  sure  your  interest  in  the  covenant. 
Rejoice  not  in  that  which  is  none  of  thine.  Make 
sure ;  all  lies  upon  this ;  your  life  and  all  the  com- 
forts and  concerns  of  it,  both  your  eternal  safety  here- 
after and  your  success  in  all  the  parts  of  your  Chris- 
tian course  here,  depend  on  your  interest  in  the  cove- 
nant. "What  have  you,  if  Christ  be  not  yours ;  and 
what  have  you  in  Christ,  if  you  be  not  in  covenant  ? 
"Whence  are  your  hopes,  either  of  mercy  at  last,  or  of 
prospering  in  any  thing  at  present,  but  from  the  cove- 
nant of  promise  ?  And  what  have  you  thence,  if  your 
name  be  not  in  it  ?  0  give  not  rest  to  yourselves,  till 
this  be  put  out  of  doubt ;  whatever  duties  you  per- 
form, whatever  ease  or  hope  you  find  hereupon,  what- 
ever transport  of  affection  you  feel  in  your  hearts,  in 
the  midst  of  all  inquire,  "But  am  I  in  covenant?" 
How  shall  I  know  that  ?  you  will  say.     "Why,  make 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.     g  357 

a  strict  and  narrow  inquiry  whether  those  special 
graces  already  mentioned  be  wrought  within  you. 
Common  mercies,  though  even  these  are  covenant 
mercies  to  the  saints,  yet  will  not  prove  themselves 
so  to  be ;  but  special  graces  will  be  their  own  evidence. 
Things  outward  fall  alike  to  all :  No  man  knoweth 
love  or  hatred  by  aught  that  befalls  him.  Eccl.  9  : 1 
Thou  mayest  be  a  son  or  an  alien,  notwithstanding  all 
that  thou  en  joy  est  or  su  Merest  here ;  but  there  is  not 
one  of  the  forementioned  graces  but  is  a  child's  por- 
tion, God's  mark  upon  the  heart,  to  distinguish  chil- 
dren from  strangers.  Prove  that  thou  truly  knowest 
the  Lord,  hast  one  heart,  a  tender  heart,  etc.,  and 
thou  therein  provest  thyself  to  be  a  child  of  prom- 
ise. Read  over  the  descriptions  that  have  been  given 
of  these  graces ;  observe  diligently  where  the  main 
difference  lies  between  common  and  special  grace ; 
compare  thy  heart  with  it,  and  thereby  thou  mayest 
give  a  judgment  of  thy  state.  If  it  be  yet  question- 
able whether  such  evidence  be  found  or  not,  sit  not 
down  till  thou  hast  obtained  it;  but  having  obtained, 
II.  Keep  your  evidences  clear.  Have  you  peace? 
maintain  it  carefully.  The  hidden  manna  will  never 
breed  worms  by  long  keeping.  Content  not  yourselves 
that  you  once  had  peace ;  it  will  be  but  a  poor  liveli- 
hood you  will  get  out  of  what  is  wasted  and  lost. 
Get  you  good  evidences  that  God  is  yours,  and  keep 
them  by  you  till  you  need  them  no  more.  Grace  is 
your  best  evidence ;  cherish  and  preserve  it.  Get  a 
seeing  eye,  and  keep  your  eye  open ;  get  a  single 
heart,  and  let  it  not  be  again  divided ;  get  a  tender 


358  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

heart,  and  keep  it  tender :  let  the  love  and  fear  of  God 
be  acted  in  holy  obedience.  An  obedient,  gracious, 
watchful,  active  life  will  keep  grace  in  heart ;  and 
flourishing  grace  will  speak  for  itself  and  you.  Look 
not  that  the  Lord  should  so  far  countenance  your 
declinings  to  a  more  fleshly,  careless  state,  as  to 
smile  upon  you  in  such  a  state ;  God  will  not  be  an 
abettor  to  sin.  Count  upon  it,  that  your  grace  and 
peace,  your  duty  and  comfort  will  rise  and  fall  to- 
gether ;  suspect  those  comforts  that  accompany  you 
into  the  tents  of  wickedness,  and  forsake  you  not 
when  you  forsake  your  God.  Keep  up  your  spirits, 
and  then  lift  up  your  heads,  keep  needfully  on  your 
way,  and  your  joy  shall  no  man  take  from  you.  Par- 
ticularly, 

1.  Keep  close  to  God.  Keep  thyself  under  his  eye 
and  influences.  As  both  thy  grace  and  thy  comforts 
had  their  birth,  so  must  they  have  their  nourishment 
from  heaven.  Lose  the  sight  of  the  sun,  and  darkness 
follows.  Let  thine  eyes  be  towards  the  hills.  Let 
divine  love  be  the  pleasure  of  thy  life.  Let  it  be  thy 
Lord's  cord  upon  thy  heart,  let  it  bind  thee  to  him ; 
he  loves  captives,  let  thine  ear  be  bored  to  the  thresh- 
old ;  be  familiar  in  heaven,  keep  thine  acquaintance 
there,  and  be  at  peace  ;  chide  back  thy  gadding  heart : 
"  Soul,  whither  art  thou  going  ?  who  hath  the  words 
of  eternal  life  ?"  Let  the  interviews  of  love  between 
thy  Lord  and  thee  be  constant ;  let  them  not  be  lim- 
ited to  some  few  holy  days  of  thy  life.  Count  not 
thou  hast  lived  that  day,  in  which  thou  hast  not  lived 
with  God. 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  359 

Keep  close  to  God  by  keeping  close  to  duty.  Keep 
close  to  duty,  and  keep  close  to  God  in  duty.  Call 
not  that  a  duty  which  thou  canst  not  call  communion 
with  God.  Make  not  duty  to  do  the  work  of  sin,  by 
taking  God  out  of  sight.  Let  not  prayer,  or  hearing, 
or  ordinances  be  instead  of  God  to  thee.  Such  pray- 
ing and  hearing  there  is  among  many ;  but  know  not 
thou  any  thing  for  religion,  wherein  thou  meetest  not 
with  God. 

Behold  the  face  of  God,  but  behold  his  face  in 
righteousness.  Psalm  17  :  15.  It  is  ill  looking  on 
God  with  a  bloodshot  eye.  Guilt  upon  the  heart  will 
be  a  cloud  that  will  make  the  sun  as  darkness  to  thee. 
"Walk  in  the  light  of  the  Lord.  Walk  in  the  light,  as 
he  is  in  the  light.  In  thy  light — the  holiness  of  thy 
life — thou  shalt  see  his  light.  The  light  of  his  holi- 
ness in  thee,  will  be  attended  with  the  light  of  his 
countenance  upon  thee.  By  the  light  of  his  counte- 
nance, thou  wilt  both  see  thyself  in  the  way  to  thy 
hopes,  and  learn  thy  way  more  perfectly.  "  Make  thy 
face  to  shine  upon  thy  servant,  and  teach  me  thy 
statutes."  Psalm  119  :  135.  God  hath  many  ways 
of  teaching :  he  teaches  by  book,  he  teaches  by  his 
finger,  he  teaches  by  his  rod  ;  but  his  most  comfort- 
able and  effectual  teaching  is  by  the  light  of  his  eye. 
Send  forth  thy  light  and  thy  truth,  let  them  lead  me, 
let  them  bring  me  to  thy  holy  hill. 

2.  Keep  hold  on  Christ.  He  is  thy  peace.  Ap- 
pear not  before  God,  but  in  the  blood  of  the  Lamb ; 
let  him  carry  up  thy  duties ;  and  own  not  that  for  a 
comfort  which  is  not  brought  thee  by  his  hand.     Let 


3G0  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

him  be  thy  way  to  the  Father,  and  thy  Father's  way 
to  thee.  Keep  fresh  upon  thy  heart  the  memory  of 
his  death  and  satisfaction,  and  let  that  be  thy  life 
and  thy  hope.  Hast  thou  cast  anchor  on  this  rock  ? 
loose  not  thy  hold  ;  hang  upon  the  horns  of  the  altar. 
Thou  canst  not  live,  but  there ;  if  thou  must  die, 
say,  But  I  will  die  here.  Put  forth  fresh  acts  of  faith 
every  day  and  hour.  Believe,  believe,  believe,  and 
thou  shalt  be  established.  Fall  not  into  unbelief; 
then  thou  art  gone ;  thou  departest  from  the  living 
God.     Heb.  3  :  12. 

3.  Quench  not  the  Spirit.  Observe  and  obey  his 
motions :  when  he  excites,  get  thee  on ;  when  he 
checks,  get  thee  back;  know  the  holy  from  the  evil 
spirit,  by  its  according  or  differing  with  the  Scriptures; 
reject  that  spirit  in  the  heart  that  is  not  the  same 
with  the  Spirit  in  the  word.  Try  the  wind,  what  and 
whence  it  is,  by  the  card  and  compass :  to  the  law 
and  to  the  testimony.  And  when  thou  perceivest  it 
is  from  above,  hoist  up  thy  sails,  and  get  thee  on. 
Quench  not  the  Spirit:  grieve  not  the  Holy  Spirit  of 
God,  whereby  thou  art  sealed  to  the  day  of  redemp- 
tion. 

4.  Keep  in  with  conscience.  Make  not  thy  wit- 
ness thine  enemy.  Deal  friendly  with  it;  thou  wilt 
need  its  good  word,  which  thou  canst  not  have  if  it- 
receive  blows  from  thee.  It  will  not  learn  this  lesson, 
to  speak  good  for  evil:  or  if  thou  shouldst  compel  it 
to  do  so,  thou  art  undone;  if  an  abused  conscience 
speak  peace,  it  becomes  thy  traitor. 

Give  due  respect  to  conscience.    Let  it  abide  with 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  361 

thee  in  peace  and  in  power.  Keep  up  its  authority 
as  God's  vicegerent.  Next  under  God,  commit  the 
keeping  of  thy  soul  to  conscience ;  as  the  Lord  hath 
made,  so  do  thou  make  it  superintendent  in  thy  soul ; 
the  judge  and  overseer  of  all  thy  motions  and  actions. 
Let  conscience  counsel  thee,  and  tell  thee  thy  way; 
let  conscience  quicken  thee,  and  put  thee  on  in  thy 
way;  let  conscience  watch  thee,  that  thou  turn  not 
out  of  thy  way ;  let  conscience  check  thee,  and  restore 
thee  into  thy  way.  'Wherever  thou  goest,  carry  con- 
science along  with  thee ;  carry  conscience  into  thy 
closet,  let  it  watch  how  thou  behavest  thyself  there; 
carry  conscience  into  thy  shop,  let  it  eye  what  thou 
doest  there;  carry  conscience  into  thy  fields,  into  the 
market,  among  thy  friends,  among  thine  enemies,  let 
it  observe  how  thou  behavest  thyself  among  them; 
carry  conscience  with  thee  to  thy  recreation,  to  thy 
bed,  to  thy  table :  wherever  thou  goest,  there  is  like 
to  be  but  sad  work,  if  conscience  be  not  with  thee. 

Commit  the  keeping  of  thy  covenant  to  con- 
science: let  it  be  the  ark  in  which  the  tables  of  the 
testimony  are  kept  and  preserved ;  let  it  be  the  exec- 
utor of  thy  testament.  Conscience  is  bound  from  sin 
by  the  covenant;  the  covenant  lays  hold  upon  it,  let 
it  lay  hold  on  thee.  Is  thy  conscience  bound,  seek 
not  to  be  loosed ;  is  thy  conscience  bound,  give  it 
leave  to  bind  thy  whole  man.  Let  it  bind  thy 
thoughts,  and  bind  thy  will,  and  bind  thy  affections, 
and  bind  thy  tongue,  and  thy  whole  practice;  thou 
never  livest  as  a  man  in  covenant,  longer  than  thou 
livest  as  a  man  of  conscience.     What  becomes  of  the 

Hrarm  Opcnt.1.  1  6 


362  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

covenant,  when  a  breach  is  made  upon  conscience  ? 

0  what  is  there  worth  having  where  conscience  is  not  ? 
"What  faith,  or  truth,  or  peace  is  there  left  alive? 
What  are  vows  and  covenants  and  promises  ?  Wrhat 
are  our  duties  to  the  Lord,  our  dealings  with  men, 
when  there  is  no  conscience  towards  God  ?  Keep  thy 
conscience,  and  thou  keepest  thy  soul;  keep  thy  con- 
science, and  thou  keepest  thy  covenant;  keep  thy 
covenant,  and  thou  keepest  thy  peace;  let  that  go, 
and  all  is  lost. 

Let  conscience  govern  what  God  hath  put  under 
its  power,  and  let  it  resist  all  adverse  power.  Let  it 
resist  temptations.  Whenever  Satan  and  thy  flesh 
fall  upon  thee,  and  tempt  thee,  saying,  Pity  thyself, 
spare  thyself,  take  thy  liberty,  take  thine  ease,  take 
thy  pleasure,  provide  for  thy  safety;  what  need  is 
there  of  so  much  ado?  why  canst  thou  not  take  the 
same  liberty,  and  allow  thyself  the  same  latitude  as 
others  do  ?  they  have  souls  as  well  as  thou,  and  they 
have  dangers  as  well  as  thou,  and  they  have  hopes  as 
well  as  thou,  and  they  have  reasons  and  understand- 
ings to  know  what  they  do  as  well  as  thou ;  and  why 
canst  thou  not  be  content  to  do  as  they  ?  Why,  let 
this  be  thy  answer:  "But  what  conscience  is  there 
for  it?  With  what  conscience  can  I  be  idle,  when  I 
have  said  I  will  be  doing  ?  With  what  conscience  can 

1  take  mine  ease,  when  I  have  said  I  will  take  pains  ? 
With  what  conscience  can  I  serve  my  flesh,  when  I 
have  said  I  will  crucify  it?  With  what  conscience 
ean  I  love  this  world,  when  I  have  said  I  will  renouace 
it?  With  what  conscience  can  I  walk  at  liberty,  when 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  363 

I  have  said  I  will  walk  circumspectly  ?  If  all  this 
were  more  than  needs — far  be  it  from  me  to  have 
such  a  thought,  till  the  serving  my  God,  and  the  sav- 
ing my  soul,  be  more  than  needs — but  if  it  were  more 
than  needs,  yet  is  it  any  more  than  I  am  bound  to  ? 
Are  there  any  such  liberties  put  into  my  indentures? 
Was  there  any  exception  made  of  this  duty,  or  that 
duty?  Was  there  any  limitation  made  to  this  meas- 
ure or  that  measure — 'hitherto  will  I  go,  and  no  fur- 
ther; this  little  I  will  do,  and  no  more?'  Was  there 
any  such  proviso  put  in  as  this,  'I  will  serve  the 
Lord,  provided  I  may  with  ease  or  with  safety  ?'  Have 
I  not  solemnly  engaged  to  the  Lord,  to  obey  him  in 
all  things,  to  follow  him  fully,  to  love  him  and  serve 
him  with  all  my  heart,  with  all  my  soul,  with  all  my 
strength,  and  this  to  the  death?  And  0,  shall  I  lie 
unto  God?  Is  it  more  than  needful  to  be  righteous, 
and  to  keep  my  faith?  Come,  0  my  soul,  come  on; 
thou  hast  opened  thy  mouth  to  the  Lord,  and  thou 
must  not  go  back."  Be  true,  bo  honest;  be  honest, 
though  thou  must  suffer  for  it.  Remember  what  thy 
mouth  hath  spoken,  and  see  that  thou  fulfil  it  with 
thy  hand. 

Keep  conscience  pure.  It  is  the  book  in  which  all 
thy  records  are  written;  let  no  blot  be  upon  thy  book. 
Beware  of  sinning  against  conscience.  Every  sin 
against  conscience  is  a  blot  upon  conscience;  and 
blots  upon  conscience  arc  blots  upon  thy  covenant- 
evidence  :  thou  wilt  not  be  able  to  read  whether  there 
be  any  thing  written  there  for  thee  or  not.  Ah,  fool- 
ish soul,  what  art  thou  doing?    Dashing  out  all  thy 


36-i  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

hopes  with  thine  own  hand.  Beware  thou  content 
not  thyself  with  blotted  evidences. 

Christians,  forget  not  this  counsel ;  keep  your 
evidences  clear.  He  who  hath  his  whole  estate  in 
bonds  or  writings,  how  carefully  will  he  keep  them! 
If  these  be  torn,  or  lost,  or  so  blurred  that  they  can- 
not be  read,  he  is  undone.  Whatever  else  be  lost,  if 
his  money  be  gone,  if  his  goods  be  lost,  if  house  be 
burnt,  yet  if  his  writings  be  safe,  he  is  well  enough. 
0  take  heed,  and  keep  your  writings  safe  and  fair; 
keep  your  title  to  your  God  clear,  and  you  can  never 
be  poor  and  miserable.  Whatever  earth  or  hell  can 
do  against  you,  till  they  can  tear  the  covenant  of 
your  God,  or  make  you  blot  out  your  own  names, 
they  have  left  you  abundantly  enough,  even  when 
they  have  left  you  nothing. 

0  how  highly  are  we  concerned  to  be  tender  of 
conscience,  and  yet  how  little  care  is  there  taken  of 
it !  What  is  become  of  the  authority  of  conscience, 
when  thy  thoughts  and  thy  passions,  when  thine  eyes 
and  thine  ears,  thine  appetite  and  thy  tongue  are  left 
unbridled  and  unconquered  ?  When  every  servant  is 
set  up  to  be  master,  and  bears  rule  in  thee,  where  is 
thy  conscience — what  is  become  of  its  authority? 
When  thy  soul  has  been  no  better  kept,  what  pov- 
erty and  leanness  is  there  grown  upon  it,  what  a 
starveling  is  it  become  both  in  grace  and  peace,  eaten 
out  with  lust,  evaporated  into  vanity,  sunk  into  sen- 
suality, thy  spirit  even  transubstantiated  into  flesh, 
ready  to  perish  and  die  away,  for  want  of  good  look- 
ing to !     When  thy  soul  has  been  no  better  kept, 


TO  GOD-S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  365 

where  is  thy  conscience  ?  "When  thy  covenant  has 
been  no  better  kept ;  when  thy  duties  thou  hast  vowed 
to  perform  are  so  hastily  and  heedlessly  shuffled  over, 
if  not  totally  thrust  aside  ;  when  thy  hours  of  prayer 
are  such  short  hours,  thy  sabbaths  such  winter  days, 
so  short  and  so  cold  too ;  when  thy  God  is  so  shame- 
fully neglected,  can  never  hear  of  thee  but  when  thou 
hast  nothing  else  to  do,  and  perhaps  not  even  then  ; 
when  thy  spare  hours  are  hardly  spared  for  God  ; 
when  this  earth,  thy  corn  and  thy  cattle  and  thy 
pleasures  and  thy  friends,  which  thou  hast  vowed  to 
renounce,  are  let  in  again  upon  thy  heart,  and  have 
stolen  it  away  from  heaven,  where  is  thy  conscience? 
When  thou  sleepest  so,  and  hast  let  the  enemy  come 
in  and  sow  his  tares  in  thy  field  ;  when  thou  art  such 
a  busybody  in  other  men's  matters,  and  thine  own 
vineyard  thou  hast  not  kept,  but  hast  let  it  lie  fallow, 
like  the  field  of  the  sluggard,  all  overgrown  with  thorns 
and  nettles ;  when  both  thy  heart  and  thy  house  are 
so  much  out  of  order ;  when  thy  wife  and  thy  chil- 
dren and  thy  servants  are  left  at  random,  to  do  all 
that  is  right  in  their  own  eyes;  when  more  caro  is 
taken  for  thy  cattle,  than  for  thy  sons  and  daughters; 
when  thy  house  is  a  very  hospital  of  blind  and  lame 
and  sick  souls,  ready  to  die  for  want  of  instruction 
and  good  discipline,  where  is  thy  conscience  ?  And 
if  conscience  be  not,  where  is  thy  covenant ;  and  if 
thy  covenant  be  not,  0  where  is  thy  God  and  thy 
peace  ? 

Ah,  conscience,  wdiere  art  thou  ?    What  is  become 
of  that  good  thing  committed  to  thee,  yea,  what  is 


366  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

become  of  thee  ?  Ah,  soul,  where  is  thy  peace  ?  How 
is  the  keeper  of  thy  peace  laid  low,  and  the  covenant 
of  thy  peace  broken !  What,  peace  while  no  con- 
science ?  And  what  hast  thou  left,  while  no  peace  ? 
Ah,  Lord,  thy  treacherous  dealers,  how  treacherously 
have  they  dealt  with  thee ;  thy  children  have  forgotten 
thee,  thy  servants  are  runaways  from  thee.  Thou  art 
our  Father,  but  where  is  thine  honor  ?  Thou  art  our 
Master,  but  where  is  thy  fear  ?  We  are  thy  servants ; 
but  where  is  our  faith?  Ah,  Lord,  we  have  dealt 
falsely  in  thy  covenant.  Return,  0  Lord,  return ; 
replace  thy  watchmen,  recover  thine  honors,  reclaim 
thy  wanderers,  restore  conscience,  revive  our  peace, 
cause  us  to  return,  and  renew  our  covenant ;  and  re- 
member, break  not  thou  thy  covenant  with  us. 

Christians,  let  us  bewail  lost  conscience,  and  let 
it  be  recovered ;  let  us  weep  over  our  dead,  and  let 
their  souls  return  into  them.  Let  those  of  us  that 
have  obtained  grace  to  be  faithful  and  watchful  and 
tender,  rejoice  and  take  heed  :  let  him  that  standeth, 
take  heed  lest  he  fall.  Go  on  in  the  name  of  the 
Lord :  remember  his  counsels ;  keep  close  by  God, 
keep  hold  on  Christ,  quench  not  the  Spirit,  keep  in 
with  conscience ;  keep  thy  heart,  keep  thy  garments, 
keep  up  thy  watch,  keep  on  thy  way,  finish  thy 
course,  keep  the  faith ;  and  then  let  the  devil  do  his 
worst,  thy  peace  shall  be  extended  to  thee  as  a  river, 
and  established  as  a  rock ;  and  thou  shalt  be  able 
to  say,  in  the  words  and  in  the  faith  of  the  apostle, 
•'Henceforth  there  is  laid  up  for  me  a  crown  of  right- 
eousness, which  the  Lord,  the  righteous  Judge,  shall 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  367 

give  me  at  that  day;  and  not  to  me  only,  but  unto 
all  them  also  that  love  his  appearing." 

III.  Add  to  your  covenant  your  sacrifice.  "Gath- 
er my  saints  together  unto  me,  those  that  have  made 
a  covenant  with  me  by  sacrifice."  Psalm  1 :  5.  God 
has  made  with  you,  and  he  expects  that  you  make 
with  him  a  covenant  by  sacrifice.  Sacrifices  were 
seals  of  the  covenant.  As  God's  part  of  the  covenant 
was  sealed,  so  our  part  also  must  be  sealed,  and  sealed 
with  blood  :  his  with  the  blood  of  his  Son ;  ours,  with 
the  blood  of  our  sins.  "I  beseech  you  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  you  present 
your  bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto 
God."  Rom.  12  : 1.  The  sacrificing  of  ourselves  to 
the  Lord  comprehends  in  it  three  things — alienation, 
dedication,  oblation. 

1.  Alienation,  or  the  passing  awa*y  of  ourselves 
from  ourselves  :  "Ye  are  not  your  own,  ye  are  bought 
with  a  price."  Thus  he  hath  said,  and  he  expects 
that  we  should  say  also,  True,  Lord ;  I  am  not  mine 
own. 

2.  Dedication,  or  the  passing  over  ourselves  to 
the  Lord:  "Ye  have  consecrated  yourselves  to  the 
Lord."  2  Chron.  29  :  31.  His  we  are  by  purchase, 
but  he  expects  that  we  be  his  also  by  donation :  his 
we  are  by  conquest,  but  he  expects  we  should  be  his 
by  consent  also.  Though  he  may  challenge  us  as 
his  right,  yet  the  most  acceptable  claim  is,  when  he 
hath  us  by  gift.  When  our  hearts  say,  I  am  thine, 
Lord ;  then  his  heart  will  answer,  Soul,  thou  art 
mine. 


365  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

3.  Oblation,  or  the  actual  surrender  or  offering 
up  ourselves  to  him.  In  the  offering  of  this  sacrifice 
is  included  the  immolation  or  slaying  of  it.  "We  must 
slay  ourselves,  in  a  spiritual  sense — be  mortified,  be 
crucified  with  Christ,  and  so  offered  up  a  sacrifice  to 
him.  You  will  say,  How  is  it  then  required  that  we 
offer  up  ourselves  a  living  sacrifice  ?  I  reply,  we  are 
never  truly  alive  till  we  are  dead.  "Ye  are  dead, 
and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God."  Col.  3 :  3. 
When  our  flesh  is  dead,  our  spirit  is  life.  Rom.  8  :  10. 
As  the  apostle,  "  That  which  thou  sowest,"  so  that 
which  thou  sacrificest,  "is  not  quickened,  except  it 
die."  1  Cor.  15  :  36.  It  is  only  the  mortified  Chris- 
tian that  is  a  living  sacrifice. 

Christians,  come  and  sacrifice  yourselves  to  the 
Lord,  come  and  slay  your  sacrifices,  and  so  offer  them 
up.  Your  sacrifice  is  slain,  when  your  carnal  self, 
your  "old"  man,  is  crucified  with  Christ,  and  the 
body  of  sin  destroyed,  Rom.  6:6;  when  the  wisdom 
of  the  flesh  is  crucified,  and  made  to  vanish  before 
the  wisdom  of  God  ;  when  the  will  of  the  flesh  is  sub- 
dued, and  swallowed  up  of  the  will  of  God ;  when 
the  lusts  of  the  flesh  are  vanquished,  and  made  cap- 
tives by  the  law  of  God. 

Christians,  it  may  be  you  are  willing  to  make 
your  claim  to  the  covenant  of  God,  but  have  you 
made  covenant  with  him  ?  You  have  entered  into 
covenant  with  God,  but  will  you  confirm  your  cove- 
nant by  sacrifice  ?  You  will  give  yourselves  a  sacri- 
fice to  the  Lord,  but  is  your  sacrifice  slain?  Is  the 
wisdom  of  the  flesh  made  foolishness  ?  How  is  it  with 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  369 

your  carnal  wills  ?  Is  the  will  of  the  flesh  broken  and 
brought  into  subjection,  yielding  itself  up  to  the  Lord  ? 
0  for  an  emptying  of  wills  into  the  will  of  God !  What 
wilt  thou  do;  what  wilt  thou  have?  Canst  thou  reply, 
"  Nothing  but  what  God  will :  what  the  Lord  will 
have  me  do,  or  avoid,  or  sutler,  I  can  no  longer  say 
him  nay.  Is  this  the  will  of  God,  my  sanctification? 
so  it  is  mine.  Is  this  the  will  of  God,  my  humilia- 
tion? so  it  is  mine.  Is  this  the  will  of  God,  my  trib- 
ulation? so  it  is  mine.  Is  God  for  holiness?  through 
grace,  so  am  I.  Is  God  for  his  own  will?  so  am  I. 
This  is  all  the  will  I  have,  that  the  Lord  may  have 
his  will  of  me — may  be  all  to  me,  have  all  from  me, 
rule  all  in  me,  and  dispose  of  all  that  concerns  me." 

How  is  it  with  your  carnal  affections,  and  fleshly 
lusts;  are  these  slain?  Are  your  covetousness,  your 
sensuality,  your  pride  and  envy,  your  carnal  joys  and 
fears  and  worldly  sorrows,  destroyed ;  those  wildfires 
of  passion  and  fury  and  rage,  are  these  quenched? 
Come,  put  the  knife  to  the  throat  of  all  these,  and 
then  there  is  a  sacrifice  for  God.  Go  and  offer  it 
up,  and  let  it  be  a  freewill-offering,  and  a  thank- 
offering. 

A  /<reei0?7/-offering.  Offer  yourselves  willingly  to 
the  Lord.  "Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day 
of  thy  power."  Psa.  110  :  3.  0  may  that  glorious 
day  dawn  upon  us!  God  loves  a  cheerful  giver; 
offer  up  your  hearts  with  all  your  heart;  grudge  not 
what  the  law  requires,  but  bless  God  that  he  will 
accept  of  an  offering:  this  has  a  comfortable  signifi- 
cation— If  the    Lord  had  meant  to  destroy  us,  he 

16* 


370  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

would  not  have  accepted  an  offering  at  our  hands. 
Judges  13  :  23. 

A  thank-offering.  Offer  unto  God  thanksgiving, 
and  pay  thy  vows  unto  the  Most  High.  Offer  up 
yourselves  in  token  of  your  thankfulness  to  the  Lord. 
Be  ye  both  the  priests,  and  the  lambs  for  the  sacrifice 
Present  yourselves  to  the  Lord  as  the  accomplish- 
ment of  his  covenant,  as  the  fruits  of  the  death  of 
your  Redeemer,  as  the  trophies  of  his  victory,  as  the 
spoils  which  he  hath  recovered  from  death  and  hell, 
making  a  show  of  them  openly,  that  it  may  be  seen 
that  the  promise  of  God  is  not  of  none  effect,  and 
that  Christ  did  not  die  in  vain.  Let  your  Lord  Jesus, 
when  he  comes  down  into  his  garden,  where  he  left 
his  blood,  reap  his  pleasant  fruits,  and  carry  up  your 
purified  souls  as  the  signals  of  his  glorious  achieve- 
ment, v  Offer  up  your  sins  to  the  Lord;  these  unclean 
beasts  will  be  an  acceptable  sacrifice.  There  is  more 
real  honor  growing  up  to  the  Lord  from  one  mortified 
saint,  than  from  ten  thousand  anthems  from  the  most 
seraphic  tongues.  Offer  up  your  duties  to  the  Lord; 
your  obedience  for  a  sacrifice.  To  obey  is  better  than 
sacrifice,  than  thousands  of  rams,  and  ten  thousands 
of  rivers  of  oil.  Let  your  whole  life  be  this  sacrifice. 
Let  every  day  be  a  sabbath,  every  duty  an  eucharist, 
every  member  a  cymbal,  sounding  out  the  praises  of 
God.  Offer  up  the  calves  of  your  lips  unto  the  Lord. 
0  let  your  souls  be  filled  with  wonder,  and  your 
mouths  with  praise. 

"Whence  is  this  to  me,"  said  Elizabeth,  "that 
the  mother  of  my  Lord  should  come  to  me?"    Luke 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  371 

1  :  43.  0  whence  is  this  to  us,  that  the  Lord  our 
Father  should  come,  and  come  so  near  to  us  ?  0 
whence  is  it  that  the  mighty  God  should  indenture, 
and  come  into  bonds  with  sinful  man?  That  he  who 
was  free  from  all  men  should  make  himself  debtor  to 
any  ?  That  the  high  and  lofty  One,  who  inhabits  eter- 
nity, should  dwell  in  houses  of  clay,  and  pitch  his 
tabernacle  in  the  dust?  That  he  who  humbleth  him- 
self to  behold  the  heavens,  should  come  down  into  the 
earth;  and  after  what  is  he  come  down,  but  after  so 
degraded  a  creature  as  man  ?  That  he  should  make 
a  league  with  stones  of  the  ground,  with  beasts  of  tho 
field,  and  creeping  things;  should  espouse  dust  and 
ashes,  and  gather  up  vile  worms  into  his  bosom  ; 
should  set  his  heart  upon  shadows,  and"  adopt  the 
refuse  of  the  earth  for  sons  and  daughters  to  himself; 
should  raise  the  poor  out  of  the  dust,  and  the  beggar 
from  the  dunghill ;  should  do  such  great  things,  and 
should  choose  the  foolish  and  the  weak  and  the  baso 
and  the  contemptible,  and  bestow  on  them  among  all 
the  world  these  high  honors  ;  should  make  them  the 
head  and  the  honorable,  whom  the  world  has  made 
the  off-scouring  of  all  things ;  should  give  himself  to 
be  the  portion,  his  Son  to  be  the  ransom,  his  kingdom 
to  be  the  heritage  of  bankrupts,  prisoners,  and  cap- 
tives? Lord,  what  is  man,  that  thou  art  thus  mindful 
of  him?  Soul,  what  is  God,  that  thou  shouldst  be  yet 
unmindful  of  him?  How  is  it  that  the  tongue  of  the 
dumb  is  not  yet  loosened,  that  the  feet  of  the  lame  do 
not  leap  as  a  hart? 

0  what  is  that  love  whence  this  strange  thing  has 


372  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

broken  forth  ?  This  is  the  womb  that  bare  thee ;  hence 
has  thy  righteousness  sprung  forth;  hence  have  thy 
dignities,  thy  astonishing  hope  and  joys  arisen  to 
thee ;  this  is  it  that  yearned  upon  thee  in  thy  misery, 
that  reprieved  thee  from  death,  redeemed  thee  from 
darkness,  rescued  thee  as  a  brand  out  of  the  burning  ; 
that  pitied  thee  in  thy  blood,  washed  thee  from  thy 
blood,  spared  thee,  pardoned  thee,  reconciled  thee, 
and  brought  thee,  an  enemy,  a  rebel,  a  traitor,  into  a 
covenant  of  peace  with  the  God  of  glory.  Ah,  con- 
temptible dust;  that  ever  there  should  be  such  com- 
passionate contrivances,  and  such  astonishing  conde- 
scensions of  the  eternal  Deity,  towards  so  vile  a  thing! 
0  love  the  Lord,  all  ye  his  saints.  0  bless  the  Lord, 
ye  beloved,  ye  people  near  unto  the  Lord.  Alas,  that 
our  hearts  should  be  so  narrow,  that  the  waters  should 
be  so  shallow  with  us.  Where  are  our  eyes,  if  we  be 
not  yet  filled  with  wonders?  What  hearts  have  we,  if 
we  have  not  yet  filled  our  lips  with  praise  ?  Open  all 
thy  springs,  0  my  soul ;  let  them  flow  forth  in  streams 
of  love  and  joy ;  let  every  faculty  be  tuned  and  strained 
to  the  height ;  let  heart  and  hands  and  tongue  and 
eyes  lift  up  their  voice :  be  astonished,  0  heavens ; 
be  moved,  ye  strong  foundations  of  the  earth ;  fall 
down,  ye  elders;  strike  up,  ye  heavenly  choir;  lend, 
poor  mortals,  your  notes,  to  sing  forth  the  high  praises 
of  God,  who  rideth  on  the  heavens,  and  has  caused  us 
to  ride  on  the  high  places  of  the  earth,  and  made  us 
sit  together  in  heavenly  places,  showing  forth  the 
exceeding  riches  of  his  grace,  in  his  kindness  to  us  in 
Christ  Jesus. 


TO  GOD'S  COVENANT  PEOPLE.  373 

Awake  up,  my  glory,  awake,  psaltery  and  harp ;  I 
myself  will  awake  right  early:  my  soul  cloth  magnify 
the  Lord,  and  my  spirit  hath  rejoiced  in  God  my 
Saviour;  for  he  that  is  mighty  hath  done  for  me 
great  things,  and  holy  is  his  name.  Blessed  he  the 
Lord  God  of  Israel,  who  hath  visited  and  redeemed 
his  people,  who  hath  raised  up  a  horn  of  salvation 
for  us  in  the  house  of  his  servant  David,  who  hath 
laid  help  on  one  who  is  mighty,  and  exalted  one  cho- 
sen among  the  people,  and  hath  given  him  for  a  cov- 
enant to  them.  Bless  the  Lord,  0  my  soul,  and  all 
that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy  name,  who  hath 
redeemed  thy  life  from  destruction,  and  crowned  thee 
with  loving-kindness  and  tender  mercies.  Salvation  to 
our  God  that  sitteth  on  the  throne,  and  to  the  Lamb. 
Let  the  redeemed  of  the  Lord  say  so.  Worthy  is 
the  Lamb  that  was  slain,  to  receive  power  and 
riches  and  wisdom  and  strength  and  glory  and  honor 
and  blessing;  for  thou  livest,  and  wast  dead,  and  art 
alive  for  evermore.  Thou  hast  redeemed  us  to  God 
by  thy  blood,  out  of  every  kindred  and  tongue  and 
people  and  nation ;  and  hast  made  us  kings  and  priests 
unto  our  God  for  ever.     Hallelujah,  hallelujah! 


374  HEAVEN  OPENED. 


DIRECTIONS 


RIGHT  PERFORMANCE  OF  THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER. 


EXTRACTED  FROM  VINDICI.E  PIETATIS,  OR  A  VINDICATION  OF  GODLINESS, 


BY    THE    REV.  RICHARD   ALLEINE. 


1.  Bring  yourselves,  and  hold  yourselves  to  a  fre- 
quent and  constant  performance  of  this  duty.  There 
must  be  performance,  or  there  cannot  be  a  right  per- 
formance. As  to  those  that  pray  not,  or  pray  but 
seldom,  it  is  a  plain  sign  that  the  root  of  the  matter 
is  not  in  them ;  they  that  can  live  without  prayer,  are 
dead  while  they  are  alive.  Prayer  is  the  first-fruits 
of  Christianity  :  it  was  said  of  Saul,  as  a  token  that 
ho  was  a  convert,  "  Behold,  he  prayeth."  The  liv- 
ing child  comes  crying  into  the  world ;  and  as  it  is  a 
token  of  life,  so  it  is  a  means  by  which  this  new  life 
is  nourished.  Prayer  is  a  Christian's  key  to  unlock 
the  storehouses  and  the  treasuries  of  souls :  to  him 
that  can  pray,  God  has  given  a  key  to  all  his  treas- 
uries. Prayer  will  not  only  unlock  the  clouds,  as 
Elijah's  prayer  did,  and  bring  down  rain  to  refresh 
the  dry  and  parched  earth,  but  it  will  unlock  heaven 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  375 

too.  It  will  unlock  the  ark  and  the  mercy-seat,  and 
bring  down  spiritual  blessings  on  the  soul.  Praying 
is  a  Christian's  knocking  at  the  gate  of  heaven,  that 
knocking  to  which  the  promise  is  made,  "Knock,  and 
it  shall  be  opened."  Matt.  7  :  7.  The  word  which  the 
Lord  speaks  to  us  is  God's  knocking  at  our  doors : 
"  Behold,  I  stand  at  the  door  and  knock."  Rev.  3  :  20. 
And  praying  is  our  knocking  at  the  Lord's  door,  at 
the  gate  of  heaven,  that  this  may  be  opened.  By  the 
way,  learn  that  if  you  will  not  hear  God'sr  knock,  it 
is  just  in  him  not  to  hear  yours.  If  God's  voice  may 
not  be  heard  on  earth,  your  voice  will  not  be  heard  in 
heaven.  Yet  fear  not,  you  shall  be  heard  if  you  will 
hear ;  hear  him  that  speaks  to  you  from  heaven,  and 
your  cry  shall  enter  into  heaven. 

Our  souls  will  never  thrive  or  flourish,  unless  the 
rain  and  the  showers  of  heavenly  grace  descend  and 
fall  upon  them  ;  and  we  cannot  look  that  those  show- 
ers should  come  down,  unless  we  look  up.  Persons 
that  pray  not,  may  be  classed  among  the  heathen : 
"Pour  out  thy  fury  upon  the  heathen,  that  know  thee 
not,  and  upon  the  families  that  call  not  on  thy  name," 
Jer.  10  :  25 ;  and  among  the  profane  ones  of  the  earth, 
who  are  described  by  this  character :  They  are  all 
together  become  filthy  and  abominable,  there  is  none 
that  doeth  good;  they  call  not  upon  the  Lord.  Psalm 
14:3,4. 

"  Be  ye  sober,  and  watch  unto  prayer."  1  Peter, 
4:7.  Be  ye  instant  as  well  as  constant  in  prayer ; 
set  up  your  resolutions,  and  set  your  time ;  set  your 
time,  and  keep  your  time.     Do  not  put  off  this  duty 


376  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

by  pretending  you  pray  always,  every  day  and  every 
hour :  as  the  pretence  of  an  every-day's  Sabbath 
comes  just  to  no  Sabbath,  so  it  is  usually  in  the  case 
of  prayer  ;  some  carnal  wretches'  "  praying  always," 
is  not  praying  at  all.  "Get  thee  into  thy  closet," 
saith  Christ ;  get  thee  a  place,  set  thee  a  time, 
wherein  thou  may  est  make  it  thy  business  to  seek 
the  Lord. 

II.  Come  to  pray  with  an  actual  and  great  ex- 
pectation of  obtaining  help  and  grace  from  God. 
Do  not  barely  impose  this  duty  upon  yourself,  as  your 
task,  but  excite  and  encourage  yourself  to  it,  by 
looking  for  a  return  ;  think  what  it  is  that  you  would 
have,  and  look  to  receive  it.  The  reason  why  we 
obtain  no  more  in  prayer,  is  because  we  expect  no 
more.  God  usually  answers  us  according  to  our  own 
hearts :  narrow  hearts  and  low  expectations  receive 
usually  as  little  as  they  look  for  or  desire  :  large  ex- 
pectations are  ordinarily  answered  with  large  returns. 
Expectation  will  put  life  into  action :  you  will  pray 
with  most  enlarged  hearts,  when  you  are  most  full  of 
hopes;  the  reward  that  is  looked  for  in  the  evening, 
will  much  encourage  and  quicken  the  labor  of  the 
day :  fear  not  to  expect  too  much  from  heaven.  Be 
not  straitened  in  your  own  heart,  and  you  shall  not 
be  straitened  in  the  God  of  compassion:  open  thy 
mouth  wide,  and  he  will  fill  it.  God  will  never  up- 
braid his  beggars  for  looking  for  too  great  an  alms ; 
he  has  enough  to  supply  them,  and  he  has  a  heart  to 
bestow  it.  God  will  never  say  to  you,  You  are  too 
bold,  you  ask  too  much — too  much  grace,  too  much 
t 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  377 

holiness ;  why  cannot  less  content  you  ?  God  has 
given  you  commission  to  ask  what  you  will,  not  to 
the  one  half,  but  the  whole  of  his  kingdom  ;  the  king- 
dom you  shall  have,  if  no  less  will  serve  your  turn. 

Christians,  be  thankful  for  every  little  you  receive, 
but  look  for  much:  be  thankful  for  every  little,  every 
little  received  from  God  is  much.  A  drop  from  that 
fountain  is  worth  the  world,  yet  content  not  youmlws 
with  some  drops,  when,  if  you  will,  the  fountain  may 
be  yours.  The  King  of  glory  loves  to  give  like  a  king, 
and  will  never  say,  This  is  too  much  either  for  a  king 
to  give,  or  a  beggar  to  receive  ;  since  he  has  given 
you  leave,  spare  not  to  speak  in  full  your  desires. 
God  has  promised  you,  and  therefore  you  may  prom- 
ise yourselves ;  whatever  you  ask,  that  is  good  for 
you,  you  shall  not  ask  in  vain.  0  if  we  had  so 
much  in  our  eye  when  we  come  before  the  throne  of 
grace,  we  should  be  oftener  there,  and  yet  still  return 
with  our  load.  Well,  Christians,  remember  this  when- 
ever you  come  to  beg — look  to  receive,  come  not  to 
prayer  as  to  an  empty  cistern  that  will  yield  no  water. 

III.  Learn  the  skill  to  plead  with  God  in  prayer. 
Though  the  Lord  be  willing  to  give  to  those  that  ask, 
yet  he  will  have  them  first  prove  they  are  in  earnest. 
Great  store  of  arguments  he  has  furnished  us  with 
to  press  him  withal,  but  he  will  have  us  use  them : 
we  must  strive  with  God  if  we  will  prevail,  and  the 
best  striving  is  with  his  own  weapons.  The  counsel 
I  give  you  in  this  is,  Plead  hard  with  God,  but  plead 
with  him  upon  his  own  arguments :  there  are,  among 
many  others,  these  four  grounds  on  which  to  found 


378  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

your  plea — on  God  himself ;  on  Christ ;  on  the  prom- 
ises ;  on  experiences. 

1.  On  God  himself.  And  there  are  two  special 
things  from  which  you  may  plead  here. 

(1.)  His  gracious  nature.  Draw  your  arguments 
by  which  you  plead  with  God  for  mercy,  from  '.he 
same  source  whence  he  originally  drew  his  arguments 
for  showing  mercy — from  his  own  compassion,  from 
his  gracious  nature,  from  his  natural  goodness,  and 
gracious  inclination  to  mercy :  "  God  so  loved  the 
world,  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son."  John 
3  :  16.  "Having  predestinated  us  unto  the  adoption 
of  children  by  Jesus  Christ  to  himself,  according  to 
the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  to  the  praise  of  the 
glory  of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  made  us  accepted 
in  the  Beloved ;  in  whom  we  have  redemption  through 
his  blood,  the  forgiveness  of  sins,  according  to  the 
riches  of  his  grace ;  wherein  he  hath  abounded  tow- 
ards us  in  all  wisdom  and  prudence ;  having  made 
known  unto  us  the  mystery  of  his  will,  according  to 
his  good  pleasure,  which  he  hath  purposed  in  himself." 
Eph.  1  : 5-9.  Here  we  have  heaped  up  in  a  few 
words  the  riches  of  mercy  which  God  hath  bestowed 
on  his  people.  Christ  his  beloved,  redemption  through 
Christ,  the  forgiveness  of  our  sins,  the  adoption  of 
children,  acceptance  in  his  sight,  the  revelation  of 
the  mystery  of  his  will,  or  the  discovering  or  making 
known  these  glorious  mercies  to  us. 

But  whence  is  all  this  ?  Who  is  it,  or  what  was 
it,  that  persuaded  the  Lord  to  this  abundant  kind- 
ness ?     Why,  all  this  arose  from  himself.     He  pur- 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  379 

posed  it  in  himself.  He  consulted  no  other  argument 
but  what  he  found  in  his  own  heart.  It  was  from  his 
love,  the  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  his  grace,  the  riches 
of  his  grace,  wherein  he  hath  abounded  towards  us.' 
Hosea  11 : 8,  9.  "How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim ? 
How  shall  I  deliver  thee  up,  Israel  ?  I  cannot  do  it, 
I  will  not  do  it.  I  will  not  execute  the  fierceness  of 
mine  anger,  I  will  not  destroy  Ephraim."  But  why 
wilt  thou  not  be  angry,  Lord  ;  why  wilt  thou  not 
destroy  Ephraim?  "0,"  says  the  Lord,  "my  heart 
is  turned  within  me  ;  my  heart  says,  Spare  him  ;  my 
compassion  says,  Destroy  him  not.  I  am  God,  and 
not  man.  I  love  him,  and  my  love  is  the  love  of  a. 
God.  I  have  compassion  on  him,  and  my  compassion 
is  the  pity  of  a  God :  I  will  bear  with  him,  I  am  a 
God  of  patience  :  love  is  my  nature  ;  pity  and  mercy 
and  compassion  are  my  nature :  I  cannot  destroy 
Ephraim,  but  by  denying  mine  own  nature."  Love 
and  pity  and  mercy  and  goodness  are  essential  to 
God.  He  can  as  soon  cease  to  be  God,  as  to  be  gra- 
cious, and  this  is  the  fountain  of  all  our  mercy ;  hence 
Christ  sprung,  hence  the  gospel  came,  and  all  the 
unsearchable  riches  of  mercy  prepared  for  poor  lost  and 
undone  creatures. 

When  you  come  to  pray,  draw  your  arguments 
hence.  Plead  with  the  Lord  upon  his  own  nature, 
his  natural  love,  grace,  and  goodness.  Thus  we  find 
the  apostle  Peter  praying  for  the  Christians  to  whom 
he  wrote:  "The  God  of  all  grace  make  you  perfect; 
stablish,  strengthen,  settle  you."  1  Pet.  5  :  10.  Plead 
with  the  Lord  in  your  prayers,  as  the  psalmist  pleads 


380  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

with  himself  in  his  affliction:  ""Will  the  Lord  cast  off 
for  ever,  and  will  he  be  favorable  no  more  ?  Is  his 
mercy  clean  gone  for  ever ;  doth  his  promise  fail  for 
evermore  ?  Hath  God  forgotten  to  be  gracious ;  hath  he 
in  anger  shut  up  his  tender  mercies  ?"  Psa.  77  :  7-9. 
That  men  should  be  merciless,  that  men  should  forget 
their  friends  in  their  low  estate,  is  no  such  wonder. 
But  hath  God,  who  is  all  grace,  all  mercy,  all  pity, 
hath  God  forgotten  ?  Doth  mercy  cease  to  be  mer- 
ciful, grace  cease  to  be  gracious?  Do  compassions 
cease  to  be  pitiful?  Hath  God  not  only  forgotten  his 
servant,  but  forgotten  himself?  Remember  thyself, 
Lord  ;  thine  own  heart,  thine  own  soul,  and  according 
to  it,  remember  me. 

(2.)  Plead  his  glorious  name.  The  Lord's  nature 
is  to  be  gracious,  and  according  to  his  nature,  such  is 
his  name:  "The  Lord,  the  Lord  God,  merciful  and 
gracious,  long-suffering,  and  abundant  in  goodness 
and  truth."  Exod.  34 : 6.  This  is  an  argument  which 
the  L*ord  puts  into  the  mouths  of  his  people,  telling 
them,  "I  had  pity  for  my  holy  name;  I  do  not  this 
for  your  sakes,  but  for  my  holy  name's  sake."  Ezek. 
36  :  21,  22.  And  upon  this  argument  we  find  them 
frequently  pleading  with  him :  "  For  thy  name's  sake, 
lead  me  and  guide  me."  Psa.  31 :  3.  "Do  not  abhor 
us ;  for  thy  name's  sake,  do  not  disgrace  the  throne 
of  thy  glory  :  remember,  break  not  thy  covenant  with 
us."    Jer.  14 :  21.     Go  you  and  do  likewise. 

2.  Found  your  plea  on  Christ.  And  there  are 
four  things  from  which  you  may  plead  with  God  upon 
this  account. 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  381 

The  Lord's  giving"  Christ  to  you  as  your  Lord 
and  your  Saviour.  Upon  which  gift,  you  may  call 
him  your  own. 

The  purchase  of  Christ,  who  has  bought  from  the 
hands  of  the  Father  all  that  you  stand  in  need  of.  Ho 
has  bought  your  lives:  "Ye  are  bought  with  a  price." 
1  Cor.  6  :  20.  He  has  bought  you  a  livelihood,  has 
purchased  an  inheritance  and  possession  for  you.  1 
Peter,  1. 

The  interest  that  Christ  has  in  the  Father,  being 
the  Son  of  God,  the  Son  of  his  love,  the  Servant  of 
God,  in  whom  his  soul  delights:  "Behold  my  ser- 
vant whom  I  have  chosen,  mine  elect,  in  whom  my 
soul  delighteth,"  Isa.  42  : 1,  whose  name  is  so  pre- 
cious and  powerful  with  the  Father,  that  it  will  carry 
any  suit,  obtain  any  request:  "Whatsoever  ye  shall 
ask  the  Father  in  my  name,  he  will  give  it  you." 
John  16 :  23. 

The  interest  that  you  have  in  Christ.  As  he  is 
precious  to  his  Father,  so  you  are  precious  to  him  ; 
as  the  Father  can  deny  him  nothing,  so  he  can  deny 
Ins  people  nothing:  "Whatsoever  ye  shall  ask  in  my 
name,  that  will  I  do."  John  14 :  13.  He  gives  you 
commission  to  put  his  name  upon  all  your  requests, 
and  whatsoever  prayer  comes  up  with  this  name  upon 
it,  he  will  procure  it  an  answer. 

Now  when  you  are  praying  for  any  mercy,  espec- 
ially for  any  soul-mercy,  make  use  of  all  these  argu- 
ments: "Lord,  hast  thou  given  Christ  unto  me,  and 
wilt  thou  not  with  him  give  me  all  things  1  stand  in 
need  of?    Hast  thou  given  me  the  fountain,  and  wilt 


382  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

thou  deny  me  the  stream?  When  I  beg  pardon  of  sin, 
when  I  beg  power  against  sin,  when  I  beg  holiness, 
is  not  all  this  granted  me  in  thy  gift  of  Christ  to  me  ? 
la  Christ  mine,  and  is  not  his  blood  mine  to  procure 
my  pardon,  his  Spirit  mine  to  subdue  my  iniquities? 
Are  these  mine,  and  wilt  thou  withhold  them  from 
me  ?  0,  shall  this  guilt  lie  upon  me,  these  sins  live 
in  me,  these  lusts  rule  over  me,  when  by  giving  me 
in  hand  that  whereof  thou  hast  already  given  me  a 
grant,  all  this  would  be  removed  from  me  ?  Look 
upon  Christ,  Lord ;  thou  hast  said  to  me,  '  Look  unto 
Jesus,'  and  give  thy  servant  leave  to  say  the  same  to 
thee.  Look  thou  upon  Jesus,  and  give  out  to  me 
what  thou  hast  given  me  in  giving  him  to  me.  Look 
upon  the  purchase  of  Christ :  do  I  want  any  thing,  or 
desire  any  thing  but  what  my  Lord  has  bought  and 
paid  for,  and  thou  hast  accepted  of  the  price  ?  Look 
upon  the  name  of  Christ,  which  thou  mayest  behold 
written  upon  every  prayer  I  make;  though  thou  may- 
est say,  '  For  thy  own  sake  thou  shalt  have  nothing, 
not  a  drop,  not  a  crumb,'  yet  wilt  thou  say,  '  Nor  for 
his  name's  sake  neither?'  Is  not  that  name  still  a 
mighty  name,  a  precious  name  before  the  Lord  ?"  By 
these  hints  you  may  learn  how  to  plead  with  God 
from  any  other  arguments  drawn  from  his  promises, 
your  experience,  etc. 

Question.  These  arguments  the  saints  may  use 
in  prayer ;  but  is  there  no  plea  for  poor  unrenewed 
men,  that  are  yet  in  their  sins,  to  make  use  of  ?  What 
may  they  say  for  themselves,  when  they  come  before 
the  Lord?    Have  you  never  a  word  to  put  in  their 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  3S3 

mouths  ?  they  have  more  need  of  arguments  than  any. 
"What  shall  they  say  ? 

Answer.  I  shall  premise  that  it  is  the  duty  of 
mere  natural  men  to  pray:  for,  1.  Prayer  is  a  part 
of  God's  natural  worship.  If  there  were  no  positive 
law  requiring  it,  yet  the  law  of  nature  enjoins  it,  and 
no  man  is  exempted  from  the  obligation  of  the  law 
of  nature.  2.  Otherwise  it  were  none  of  their  sin  to 
neglect  and  restrain  prayer;  where  no  law  is,  there 
is  no  transgression.  Now  we  find  in  Scripture,  that 
neglect  of  prayer  is  reckoned  up  among  wicked  men's 
sins  :  "  They  are  all  together  become  filthy,  they  call 
not  upon  the  Lord."  Psa.  14  :  3,  4.  Sin,  though  it 
doth  disable,  yet  doth  not  release  from  duty. 

When  a  sinner,  being  struck  with  a  sense  of  his 
sin,  and  of  his  necessity  of  changing  his  way,  and  of 
his  utter  inability  to  turn  of  himself,  under  the  fears 
and  troubles  of  his  heart  goes  to  God  and  cries  out, 
"Lord,  what  shall  I  do?  I  see  I  am  in  an  evil  case, 
my  soul  is  running  on  in  sin,  and  thy  curse  and  wrath 
I  behold  running  on  upon  me:  Lord,  save  me;  Lord, 
help  me;  Lord,  pardon,  Lord,  convert  me,  break  me 
off  from  my  sins,  break  me  off  from  my  sinful  com- 
panions; I  cannot  get  loose,  my  heart  is  too  hard,  my 
lusts  are  too  strong,  my  temptations  are  too  many 
for  me  to  overcome  myself:  Lord,  help  me ;  turn  me 
and  I  shall  be  turned;  pluck  my  foot  out  of  the  snare, 
that  I  be  not  utterly  destroyed ;  forgive  mine  iniquity, 
make  me  a  clean  heart,  make  me  thy  child,  make 
me  thy  servant,  that  I  may  never  again  yield  up  my- 
self a  servant  to  sin."     To  such  a  prayer  as  this,  n  it 


384  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

be  hearty  and  in  earnest,  if  there  be  no  promise  of 
audience,  yet  at  least  there  is  a  half  promise.  Who 
can  tell  ?  It  may  be  the  Lord  will  hear. 

Consider  that  sinners,  if  they  have  but  a  heart  to 
it,  have  also  a  price  in  their  hands;  God  has  put 
arguments  into  their  mouths  also,  to  plead  with  him 
for  mercy,  as, 

1.  The  grace  of  God,  or  his  gracious  nature — his 
readiness  to  show  mercy;  this  even  strangers  may 
lay  hold  upon. 

2.  God's  call  or  gracious  invitation,  "Ho,  every 
one  that  thirsteth,  come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that 
hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy  and  eat;  yea,  come, 
buy  wine  and  milk,  without  money  and  without 
price."  Isaiah  55  :  1.  "  Look  unto  me,  and  be  ye 
saved,  all  the  ends  of  the  earth."  "Come  unto  me, 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest."  Rise,  sinner,  he  calleth  thee:  go  to  the 
Lord,  and  when  thou  goest  tell  him,  "Lord,  thou  hast 
bid  me  come,  and  behold  here  I  am;  I  come,  Lord, 
at  thy  word,  I  come  for  a  little  water,  I  come  for  thy 
wine  and  thy  milk;  I  have  brought  no  price  in  my 
hand,  but  thou  hast  bid  me  come  and  buy  without 
money  and  without  price.  Though  I  have  no  grace, 
yet  behold,  at  thy  word  I  come  for  grace;  though  I 
have  no  Christ,  yet  I  come  for  Christ ;  though  I  can- 
not call  thee  Father,  yet  being  called,  I  come  to  thee 
as  fatherless;  with  thee  the  fatherless  shall  find 
mercy.  If  I  am  not  thy  child,  may  I  not  be  made 
thy  child  ?  Hast  thou  not  a  child's  blessing  left  yet 
to  bestow  upon  me  ?    Thou  hast  bid  me  come,  and 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  385 

eome  for  a  blessing.  Bless  me,  even  me  also,  0  Lord. 
"Wherefore  hast  thou  sent  for  me  ?  Shall  I  be  sent 
away  as  I  came?  I  come  at  thy  word;  do  not  say, 
Begone,  out  of  my  sight.  I  cannot  go  at  thy  word  ; 
I  will  not  go  ;  for  whither  shall  I  go  from  thee  ;  thou 
nast  the  words  of  eternal  life  ?  Since  thou  wilt  havo 
me  speak,  Lord,  answer  ;  though  I  dare  not  say,  '  Be 
just  to  me,  a  saint,'  yet  I  do  say,  I  will  say,  I  must 
say,  '  Lord,  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.'  " 

3.  Plead  Christ.  And  there  are  two  things  in 
Christ  which  sinners  may  plead  with  God. 

His  sufficiency.  There  is  enough  in  Christ,  in  his 
obedience  and  death,  to  save  the  worst  of  sinners,  to 
save  the  whole  world  of  sinners.  There  is  a  fulness  in 
Christ,  "  It  pleased  the  Father,  that  in  him  should  all 
fulness  dwell."  Col.  1  :  19.  There  is  a  fulness  of 
merit  to  obtain  pardon,  to  make  reconciliation  for 
whoever  comes ;  a  fulness  of  the  Spirit  to  sanctify 
and  cleanse  them  from  their  sins.  "  He  is  able  to 
save  unto  the  uttermost  all  those  that  come  unto 
God  by  him."  From  this,  sinners  may  reason  thus 
with  the  Lord :  0  Lord,  I  do  not  come  to  beg  that  of 
thee  which  cannot  be  had ;  thou  hast  enough  by  thee ; 
look  upon  Jesus  that  sits  at  thy  right  hand :  is  there 
not  righteousness  enough  in  him  to  answer  for  all  my 
unrighteousness ;  are  there  not  riches  enough  in  him 
to  supply  my  poverty?  Hear,  Lord;  send  me  not 
away  without  an  alms,  when  thou  hast  it  by  thee. 

His  office — which  is  to  bring  sinners  to  God,  to 
make  reconciliation  for  sinners,  to  make  intercession 
for  transgressors.    Isa.  53  :  12.    "  Thou  hast  received 

Heaven  Oueae it.  1  / 


386  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

gifts  for  men,  yea,  for  the  rebellious  also."  Psa.  68  :  iH. 
"What  a  strange  and  mighty  plea  is  here  for  poor  sin- 
ners !  "  0,  it  is  true,  Lord,  I  am  a  transgressor,  and 
have  been  from  the  womb  ;  I  have  played  the  traitor, 
and  been  a  rebel  against  thee  all  my  days ;  but  is 
there  none  in  heaven  that  will  intercede  for  a  trans- 
gressor ?  Has  the  Lord  Jesus  received  no  gift  for  this 
poor  rebel,  that  falls  down  before  thee?  Though  I  am 
a  rebel,  Lord,  yet  I  am  a  returning  rebel:  though  I 
am  a  rebel,  yet  let  me  receive  a  rebel's  gift — not  a 
rebel's  terrible  reward,  but  some  of  those  gifts  which 
Christ  received  for  the  rebellious.  Does  Christ  make 
intercession  for  transgressors,  and  shall  not  he  be 
heard  ?  If  thou  wilt  not  hear  me  who  am  a  sinner, 
yet  wilt  thou  not  hear  Him  that  speaks  for  sinners, 
whose  blood  speaks,  whose  mercy  speaks,  whose  Spirit 
speaks  ?  Does  he  speak  for  sinners,  and  yet  not  for 
me  ?" 

4.  Plead  your  own  necessity.  Sinners  are  neces- 
sitous, they  have  nothing  of  value  left  them ;  in  the 
fulness  of  their  sufficiency  they  are  in  straits.  As  a 
sinner  of  a  hundred  years  is  but  a  child,  so  a  sinner 
of  thousands  by  the  year  is  but  a  beggar — poor,  mis- 
erable, blind,  and  naked:  he  may  feel  the  want  of 
nothing,  and  yet  lack  every  thing  that  is  good.  Sin 
has  stripped  him  to  the  skin,  stabbed  him  to  the 
heart;  the  iron  has  entered  into  his  soul,  it  has  left 
him  nothing  but  wounds  and  bruises  and  putrefying 
sores.  It  is  thy  case,  sinner,  and  hast  thou  nothing 
to  say  ?  Spread  thy  wants  and  necessities  before  the 
Lord,  and  let  these  speak  for  thee. 


THE  DUTY  OF  PRAYER.  3S7 

Open  thy  wounds  and  thy  sores,  tell  him  how  des- 
perately sad  thy  case  is,  tell  him  of  the  guilt  that  is 
upon  thy  head,  the  curse  that  is  on  thy  back,  the 
plague  that  is  in  thy  heart,  and  let  this  he  thy  plea : 
"G-od  of  compassion,  look  hither;  behold  what  a  poor, 
blind,  dead,  hardened,  unclean,  guilty  creature,  what 
a  naked,  empty,  helpless,  creature  I  am:  look  upon 
my  sin  and  my  misery,  and  let  thine  eye  affect  thy 
heart.  One  deep  calls  to  another;  a  deep  of  misery 
cries  out  to  a  deep  of  mercy.  0,  my  very  sins,  which 
cry  so  loud  against  me,  speak  also  for  me.  My  misery 
speaks;  my  curses,  the  woe  and  the  wrath  that  lie 
upon  me  speak;  my  bones  speak,  my  perishing  soul 
speaks,  and  all  cry  in  thine  ears,  Help,  Lord  God  of 
pity,  help,  help  and  heal  me,  help  and  save  me ;  come 
unto  mc,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man,  0  Lord:  I  dare  not 
say  as  once  it  was  said,  Depart  from  me,  for  I  am  a 
sinful  man:  come,  Lord,  for  I  am  a  sinful  man.  Thou 
couldst  never  come  where  there  is  more  need :  who 
have  need  of  the  physician  but  the  sick  ?  Come,  Lord  ; 
I  have  too  often  said,  '  Depart  from  me,'  but  if  thou 
wilt  not  say,  'Depart,'  to  me,  I  hope  I  shall  never 
again  say,  Depart,  to  thee.  My  misery  saith,  Come; 
my  wants  say,  Come ;  my  guilt-  and  my  sins  say, 
Come;  and  my  soul  saith,  Come.  Come,  then,  find 
pardon,  come  and  convert,  come  and  teach,  come  and 
sanctify,  come  and  save  me ;  even  so,  come,  Lord 
Jesus." 

Thus  you  have  the  sinner's  plea.  Poor  sinner,  art 
thou  willing  to  return  from  thy  sins  ?  fear  not  to  go 
tc  thy  God.     Go,  and  the  Lord  help  thee,  give  thee 


388  HEAVEN  OPENED. 

thy  heart's  desire,  and  fulfil  all  thy  mind ;  and  for  thy 
encouragement  take  along  with  thee  this  scripture  : 
"Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he  may  be  found,  call  ye 
upon  him  while  he  is  near :  let  the  wicked  forsake  his 
way,  and  the  unrighteous  man  his  thoughts ;  and  let 
him  return  unto  the  Lord,  and  He  will  have  mercy 
upon  him;  and  to  our  God,  for  He  will  abundantly 
pardon."    Isa.  55  :  6,  7. 


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